Meet Convincar

Convincars are cunning critters, seeking out people who are lonely or feeling like they don’t belong. They lure you in by telling you that they are the only one that cares about you, that you’re special, and that they are the only one you can trust. They use their eyes to hypnotise you, and their silver tongues to sweet talk you into believing everything they say. Then they try to get you to do things for them.

You cannot trust everything you see online as some things can be out of date, inaccurate or not entirely true. To find reliable information compare at least three different websites, check in books and talk to someone about what you have found.

To deal with a Convincar you must:

• Be careful if someone new approaches you and tries to make friends, they may have a hidden agenda.
• Don’t always believe everything others say to you, always tell a parent, carer or trusted adult what you’ve talked about with anyone online or who you’ve come into contact with. They will be able to help you work out if they’re lying to you.
• If someone starts telling you that their way of thinking is the truth and what you believe is wrong, question why they’re telling you that, talk to a parent, carer or trusted adult for advice.

Be careful of believing any ‘facts’ that you’re shown or given, always question where they’ve come from and what the writer is trying to do.