Recognising pressure and suspicious requests
Notice coercive communication and financial warning signs before they become a reason to continue unwanted contact.
Notice pressure around your choices
A new contact may insist that sharing an interest means accepting their preferred pace or proving commitment. It does not. Be cautious if ordinary questions are dismissed, a boundary is repeatedly challenged or somebody asks you to keep an uncomfortable request secret. You can stop a conversation even when the person has otherwise been friendly or you have already spent time getting to know them.
Be cautious with money and account access
Pause if someone requests a verification payment, gift cards, cryptocurrency, banking details or a transfer before you can meet. Affectionate messages and a convincing profile do not establish that a financial request is genuine. Never share passwords, one-time codes or remote access to a device. Do not send another payment to try to recover money you have already transferred.
Keep control of the next step
Stop sharing information when something feels wrong, preserve relevant messages and use the platform’s reporting or blocking options. If an account or payment is involved, contact the relevant bank or service through its own established support channel. These warning signs do not identify every dishonest account, but they are reasons to pause rather than allow urgency or embarrassment to decide for you.