To check someone before meeting in person, look for a profile that is consistent and believable, run a quick reverse image search on their photo, have a short chat about the plan itself, see whether you share any contacts or groups, and watch for red flags such as requests for money or pressure to meet somewhere private. None of this needs to be dramatic. A few minutes of proportionate checking, combined with meeting at a busy public place and telling a friend, covers most of the risk of meeting someone new from an app, a Facebook group or a friend-of-a-friend introduction.
Short answer: check that the profile hangs together, reverse-search one photo, keep early chat on the plan, look for mutual contacts, and walk away from anyone who asks for money, refuses a public place or pressures you. Then meet in public, tell someone where you are and arrange your own way home.
The right mindset: proportionate, not paranoid
Most people you meet through plans, clubs and apps are exactly who they say they are: someone who also wants a coffee, a game of padel or company at a concert. The goal of checking is not to investigate them. It is to catch the rare profile that is fake or the rare person whose intentions do not match the plan, and to give yourself the confidence to enjoy the meeting.
A useful rule: the checks should match the plan. A group coffee on a busy seafront needs less than a one-to-one hike on a quiet coastal path.
How to check someone before meeting in person: 6 checks
1. Does the profile hang together?
Look at the profile as a whole. Do the name, photos, age and short description fit together? Several photos taken in different places usually suggest a real person. A single, very polished photo with almost no other detail is not proof of anything, but it is worth a second look.
2. Reverse-search one photo
Save or screenshot a profile photo and run it through a reverse image search such as Google Lens or TinEye. If the same photo appears under different names, on a stock photo site or on a model’s portfolio, treat the profile with caution.
3. Chat about the plan, not your life story
A short exchange tells you a lot. Real people answer simple questions about the plan normally: what time works, whether they have played padel before, where they usually park. Be wary of answers that dodge every specific question, or of conversation that quickly turns intense or very personal.
4. Look for mutual contacts or groups
Malta is small. If you share a sports club, a language course, a workplace or a friend, a quick “do you know X?” often settles any doubt. You do not need mutual contacts to meet someone, but they are reassuring when they exist.
5. Check the public footprint, lightly
Searching a first name plus a club or workplace they mentioned can confirm that the details are real. Stop there. You are checking consistency, not building a file on someone.
6. Notice how they react to normal boundaries
Suggest a public place, a fixed start time and your own transport. People with good intentions accept this without fuss. Pushback on basic boundaries is one of the most useful signals you will get.
| Check | Time it takes | What a good result looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Profile consistency | 1 minute | Name, photos and description fit together |
| Reverse image search | 2 minutes | Photo does not appear under other names |
| Short chat about the plan | A few messages | Normal, specific answers |
| Mutual contacts or groups | 1 minute | A shared club, course or friend, if any |
| Light public search | 2 minutes | Details they gave are real |
| Boundary test | Built into planning | Happy with a public place and fixed time |
Red flags that mean do not go
- Any request for money, gift cards, crypto or help with a “fee”. The US Federal Trade Commission’s guidance on romance scams is blunt: someone you have not met who asks for money is very likely a scammer. The same applies to friendship and activity apps.
- Refusing a public place, or trying to move the meeting to a home, a car or somewhere isolated.
- Pushing to move off the platform very quickly, especially to a private messaging app, before you have even agreed a plan.
- A story that keeps changing: age, job, where they live.
- Flirting or sexual comments on a plan that is not about dating.
- Pressure and urgency: “it has to be in the next hour”, “do not tell anyone”.
- Your gut says no. You do not need evidence to skip a meeting.
In Malta, the ScamAlert portal, run with the financial regulator and the police, explains common scams and where to report them. If money has already left your account, contact your bank immediately.
What not to do
- Do not ask a stranger for ID documents or send yours. It is unnecessary for a coffee and it puts personal data at risk.
- Do not share your home address, workplace details or daily routine before you have met.
- Do not dig into someone’s family, past relationships or finances online. Proportionate means proportionate.
- Do not agree to be picked up by someone you have not met. Make your own way there.
How MeetNow helps
MeetNow is built around a few simple structures that make first meetings easier to judge. Every plan happens at a real public place. A host posts the plan at a public place, people ask to join with a short note, and the host reads the note and checks the person’s “we met” track record before accepting or declining. Accepted guests share a group chat, so details are agreed in the open. After the plan, both sides confirm “we met”, which builds each person’s track record; read how the MeetNow track record works. Hosts can also limit who can join, for example by gender or age range, and any user can block another user.
None of that replaces your own judgement. For more, see is MeetNow safe? and, if you are hosting, how to pick who joins your plan.
On the day
- Confirm the place and time in the chat, so there is a written record.
- Tell a friend who you are meeting, where and until roughly when. Share your location with them if you like.
- Arrive on your own, with your own way home planned, including the last convenient bus.
- Keep the first meeting short and public. A coffee or a drink is enough. You can always stay longer.
- Check in afterwards with your friend so they know you are fine.
For broader advice on meeting people from apps, our guide on whether it is safe to meet strangers from an app covers the basics.
Safety box
- Meet at a busy public place and stay there.
- Tell someone where you are going and who you are meeting.
- Arrange your own way home.
- Never send money to someone you have not met.
- Leave if you feel uncomfortable, and block anyone you do not want to hear from again. In an emergency in Malta, call 112.
Want to turn this into an actual plan? Open MeetNow and see the plans near you.
Related questions
- Is MeetNow safe?
- Is it safe to meet strangers from an app?
- How does the MeetNow track record work?
- How do I choose who joins my plan?
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Is it rude to check someone before meeting them?
No. Light checks, such as looking at their profile, searching their name or doing a reverse image search on a photo, are normal and proportionate. Keep it private and respectful, and do not ask strangers for ID documents.
How do I do a reverse image search?
Save or screenshot the profile photo and upload it to a reverse image search tool such as Google Lens or TinEye. If the same photo appears under different names or on stock photo sites, treat the profile with caution.
What are the biggest red flags before meeting someone?
Requests for money or gift cards, pressure to meet somewhere private, refusing any public place, pushing to move off the platform very quickly, stories that keep changing and anything that makes you uneasy are all reasons not to go.
Does MeetNow check people for me?
MeetNow keeps meetings at public places, lets the host read each join note, see the person’s “we met” track record and pick who joins, lets users block others and builds a track record when both sides confirm “we met”. You should still use your own judgement and the checks in this guide.
Who do I contact in Malta if something goes wrong?
In an emergency, call 112. For online scams, contact your bank straight away if money is involved and report it to the Malta Police; the ScamAlert portal explains common scams and where to report them.
