OK, I thought this chapter was needed after someone PMed me their PHONE NUMBER. Area code and all.

So first things first. DON'T GIVE RANDOM PEOPLE YOUR PHONE NUMBER EVER UNLESS YOU MEET THEM IN REAL LIFE, OR AT LEAST, VIDEO CHAT.

Also, never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, give anyone your area code. You can quite simply Google any area code and figure out where it's from, down to the CITY. For a stalker or something, this could help a ton, considering you're looking through at least a country. Say, New York. Let's say... 212 is your area code. (NOTE. This was a quick Google search.) Now, you can search "212 area code" on Google, and it'll pull up "MANHATTAN" so it's now narrowed down to about 1 1/2 million. Now, this is still big, but say... You let slip you're on some school's track team. Now, you go to New York, go to said school, go to a track meet, and look for a kid. Say they sent a picture of themselves, even! THEN THAT MEANS THE STALKER CAN TRACK YOU DOWN TO THE MARK. Now, that means you're probably dead.

See?

At most, come up with some kind of business email that doesn't contain any part of your name at all. Then, give that person that email ONLY IF YOU TRUST THEM. COMPLETELY.

Heck, I've only ever talked to one person from Wattpad on my email. Well, that's not technically true. A few of my friends are on here, but I either was recommended to Wattpad by them, or I recommended Wattpad to them. But only one person that I MET on Wattpad I've talked to on email. I've also played Minecraft with one or two, but that is the reason this whole thing happened. The person said "Hey, call (***)***-**** and we can play Minecraft!"

First off, I used to halfway trust this person, but since I'm not in their contacts, the number itself will pull up on the phone, then they can Google the area code, etc. etc.

Maybe, one day, you can say "Hey, I'm going to Universal Studios" or something, then maybe you can meet. IDK, just be SUPER CAREFUL. And, remember, people can hack your location, too. Never give them an IP, or a Phone number, or even a picture, unless you really trust them. Heck, never even give out your LAST NAME, or birth records, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc. Anything that can be tracked back to you.

Also, even if I was messaging... Say, my neighbor. We've met in real life, and we know each other's real names. HOWEVER. If I send ANYTHING, it's now on the internet. Now, someone can hack this conversation, and they can learn

A). Locations
B). Names
C). Stuff we like, so now he can draw us in with our favorites
D). Personal stuff

So if you're going to send anything really personal, tell them IN REAL LIFE.

Anyway, guys, just be super careful. Heck, I accidentally put my real name on this profile, because I expected, like, 3 people to read my books. Obviously, stuff has snowballed, and now even if I change my username, people will be like "WHY?" and they'll still call me Luke no matter what.

So yeah. In the words of my father, "Think before you do. Life is like a game of chess; everything you do will change the outcome."