Make sure you read profiles see who you’re friending. I have seen a lot of nasty profiles. There are some not so nice people coming on here to prey on others for gifts, deeds etc. Report to CW any inappropriate behaviors. Let’s keep our parties and friends safe and have fun. Block inappropriate players from entering your parties.
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There are also some really nice profiles where the person spreads all kinds of love, kindness and friendship and then behave totally differently.
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Well of course there are many wonderful people on here too Cathylee. But my quest is only for others to start to read profiles, watch people how the act online, be cautious that it like the real world here not everyone is here to be kind to others. Many just foolishly friend everyone not even caring anything about them just collecting names too. But this is only my opinion I’m one person,many don’t think as I do.Maybe its the country girl in me..lol Have fun everyone
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You’ve both made excellent points. @Cathylee, you especially hit the nail on the head - some profiles show nothing but love and kindness, but it’s so hard to tell if it’s genuine or just a charade to make you believe and trust them.
It really feels like you can’t be certain about anything out there. There are so many deceptive people. For females, you have to be wary of those romance scams. They often “love bomb” you with affection, then suddenly have an “emergency” and need money, or they try to get personal photos to use for blackmail later. For males, they have to be so careful about those “pig butchering” scams, which is really just another version of the same thing.
And then, as you said, @APRIL_DIAMOND_62, there are just the outliers who seem to want conflict, probably driven by jealousy, insecurity, a need for attention, or just plain boredom. We’re at the time where we have to be as cautious online as we are about letting our kids accept candy from strangers.
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That’s so true @Night_Guy I had a friend telling me that i should not include so many details about my work and life in my profile so as not to be a pray for scammers. But i think that many people should be wary of meeting and fully trusting someone right from the start. And, of course, be careful when someone asks for financial help and things that show “red flag” signs.
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You are so right Cathylee. I have had my name snickered at at 2 parties and I have only been on for 7 days. Both profiles seem to be nice people, but I am very leary of everyone on here now. How sad that people like to make fun of others and whisper about you.
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Just ignore those ppl, don’t friend them. You can block them if you like, but I personally have only blocked one person who messaged me a nasty message to my inbox. I think the majority of ppl here are here for the right reasons and are very friendly. Listen to your gut, heart and mind! And just have fun!
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Welcome to the community, @American_Maid. I’m sorry to hear you’ve already had people snickering at you. That’s completely uncalled for, and it’s sad that you’ve had that experience in your first week. @Cathylee gave you the perfect advice: just ignore them, don’t friend them, and listen to your gut. The vast majority of people here are friendly, so please don’t let a few bad actors spoil your fun.
That’s a very wise perspective, @Polina4. I wish I could help more, but the way the online trend is going, you just can’t believe much anymore.
With the AI revolution, we’re at the very early stages, much like when the internet first got started. As a developer who uses multiple AIs for coding, I’ve seen it grow since it was released in late 2022. It’s the best thing that’s come out since the smartphone, and its growth rate is staggering. To give an example, it took TikTok about 9 months and Instagram over 2 years to reach 100 million users; ChatGPT did it in just two months.
As Sam Altman (CEO of OpenAI) said, AI acts as a “force multiplier” , but that’s true for both good and bad. This is true for scammers, too. I’ve watched the internet change from a high-trust time - who remembers BBS (dial-in bulletin board services) or the ICQ days around 1998? You knew you were talking to a real, genuine person, which has devolved into the low-trust times we have now.
My perspective is also shaped by being in online retail and supply chain automation for over 25 years. I’ve seen every type of online scam you can think of, from the original Nigerian prince emails, INAD (Item Not As Described) scams, and return frauds, to modern ransomware and faked caller ID scams (bank/IRS/etc.). With deepfakes, 2025 is really just the beginning of when video evidence will cease to be reliable.
The scams I see here are similar, but it’s worse because of the demographics. This community generally has older, good-natured people, and scammers know they are easier to take advantage of. I notice a lot of men “fishing,” sending out random messages. I also know many men use female avatars here to get less drama, or sometimes just to get less flack for behavior that others are more tolerant of from a female (e.g., “Lady: I don’t have gems to toss…” → “Knight in Shining Armor: I will toss for you, my lady.”). Of course, this is also a great place to explore your gender identity. That is perfectly fine as long as it’s not for nefarious purposes. At least chivalry is still around here… I am glad.
I have a couple of overflow placeholder avatars, as most of you know. They don’t socialize; they only do what they were made for. The female ones all get bombarded with messages. It’s always the same script: it starts with a compliment on the avatar’s looks, which seems innocent, but you know if they only care about the looks of an avatar, there’s a shallowness to it. You know exactly where it’s leading after a few words. DG also tells me as soon as she changes her avatar from a female to a ghost, those “hi beautiful” messages stop completely.
This all ties into some unwritten etiquette. If you use multiple avatars to socialize, you should be open about it. Don’t go around using them as separate individuals to try and make a point or build fake support. I’ve seen it happen so many times right here on CW and on this forum.
Don’t treat this place as a competition you have to win, especially the forum. Be a good sportsman. Nobody wins in the end. Badges and stuff here are irrelevant. Just be nice, contribute, everybody has their stories, and there is someone with a family who cares about that person out there. Don’t be a keyboard warrior. Follow good morals, and good things will come to you.
And to those individuals… you know who you are. Remember one thing: the internet is forever. Don’t post something you don’t want coming back to haunt you.
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Thank you so much Night Guy. I’m here to relax and try to de-stress. Just agreeing with Cathylee about what I have witnessed so far in just a few days. I don’t take it personally, I’ve seen some pretty different names on here lol! And thank you for sharing all of your knowledge. You have helped me so much learn about building my city 
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Thank you @Night_Guy for taking the time to write this all out. It was very kind and informative of you. You mentioned the fact that there is good and bad with AI. You can really have some fun with it, as we did when making our avatars be out in public or with famous ppl, but there can be some bad as well. I worry about the day we can’t use video as evidence in a court of law! Gone are the days when sometimes our own eyes can’t believe what they see and photos don’t lie. 
Great post!!
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