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Is Help Me safe?
The honest answer includes what the app does, and what no app can do for you.
Short answer
Help Me is built around four safety rules: only helpers with a current staff-reviewed approval can accept, live requests show a coarse area of about 500 meters rather than your address, chat stays private between the two people involved, and public meeting places are the default with report and block one tap away. None of that replaces your own judgment, and none of it replaces 911.
The facts, in one place
- Helper approval is a staff review of identity evidence, not a criminal background check.
- Approval has to be current — a lapsed one stops working.
- Exact location is opt-in, shared only after someone accepts and only with that person.
- Report and block are in every request, and emergencies go to 911 first.
What the app enforces
A request is not broadcast to the internet. It is offered to a short list of approved helpers who are online, suitable for the category, recently active, and not blocked by either person. Only one of them ends up with it. Everything after that happens in a private thread.
Location is deliberately blunt. The map shows an approximate area, not a pin. Precise location is something you turn on after a person you can see has accepted, and it ends when the request is complete.
What is still on you
Meet in public. Tell someone where you are going. Trust the feeling in your stomach over the politeness in your head, and end the interaction if it goes sideways. If you are actually in danger, call 911 — do not wait on an app offer, and do not use a report as a substitute for a dispatcher.
- Pick a lit, busy place — a store entrance, a campus building, a staffed lot
- Keep the conversation in the app until you have met
- Use report and block; both are one tap from the request
- 911 first for anything threatening, medical, or criminal
Questions people actually ask
Can a stranger see where I live?
Not from the map. Live help shows a coarse area of roughly 500 meters. Exact location is only shared if you turn it on after someone accepts, and only with that person.
What happens when I report someone?
The report goes to staff along with the request context. Blocking takes effect immediately and stops future matching between the two of you.
Keep going
trust
Safety, said plainly
Approximate location, approved helpers only, private chat, public meeting places, and report/block tools. Help Me is not 911.
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Who can see my location on Help Me?
Live requests show an approximate area of about 500 meters. Exact location is opt-in after a helper accepts, shared only with that person, and ends when the request closes.
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Are Helpers background checked?
No. Helpers submit identity evidence that staff review before approval. That is an identity check, not a criminal background check, and Help Me does not claim otherwise.
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How to stay safe while asking for a hand
Meet in public, keep exact location off until you consent, and use report and block. Help Me is not 911 — call official help first if you are in danger.
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Help Me is not 911
Help Me is for everyday, non-emergency help in Fargo–Moorhead. If you are in danger, call 911. Here is how to tell the difference.
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Where should I meet someone?
Somewhere public, lit, and busy: a store entrance, a staffed campus building, a well-used parking lot. Public meeting places are the default for a reason.
Help Me is a community app for adults in Fargo–Moorhead. It is not a K–12 student program, not a youth chat, and not campus police.