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| The following advice applies both
to those who are POSTING a LOST appeal
and those who are RESPONDING to
a FOUND appeal. |
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| [01] Tell
a friend or member of your family that you are
posting or responding to an appeal, and keep
them up-to-date with progress. |
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| [02] Take
full advantage of the anonymity offered by the
Missing List. Get to know the respondent within
the Missing List environment. Only consider
contact outside the Missing List environment
when you are confident that the response or
appeal is genuine and you judge that off-line
contact is safe. |
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| [03] Remain
known to contacts by your USERNAME for
as long as you deem necessary. Don't reveal
first or full name or even gender; certainly
in the early stages of contact. |
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| [04] Make
very sure that the amount and the terms of any
reward that you may offer are clear and unambiguous.
If in doubt seek qualified advice. It is not
advisable, nor good practice, to deviate from
the amount or terms of a reward offered as this
may form the basis of a contract in law. |
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| [05] No
matter how desperate you may be, never
use a form of words which would suggest that ‘no
questions will be asked’. This
is illegal (section 23 of The Theft Act 1968)
and Police take this very seriously. It can
result in a fine and a criminal record if you
are convicted. Stating or implying that 'no
questions will be asked' also has the potential
to compromise your personal safety. By using
this term you are effectively advertising that
you are willing to deal with criminals. This
may attract opportunists only too willing to
take advantage of your circumstances. |
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| [06] Never
agree to increase the amount of your a reward
payment; you never know where it will end. Attempts
to hike up the reward value will give you a
very good indication of the integrity (or lack
of integrity) of the respondent and you may
feel that you wish to discontinue contact at
this stage or consult the police. |
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| [07] Never
hand over reward money until you have the information
that you need. Always thoroughly check that
the information imparted is accurate. |
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| [08] The
bigger the reward the more incentive there is
for fraud. If your reward is substantial you
should consider using the services of a professional
third party (such as a lawyer or accountant)
to administer payment and/or consult CRIMESTOPPERS >>. |
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| [09] If
you decide to divulge any of your personal details
only impart information that can be easily changed
at a later date (such as mobile phone number). |
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| [10] If
you decide to escalate contact from the Missing
List messaging system to telephone contact try
to avoid giving out your number - you call them
and mask your number by adding the 141 prefix. |
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| [11] If
you feel you must give out your phone number
then give your cell phone number because this
cannot easily be traced to your address. It
also gives you the peace of mind of knowing
that you can change the number if necessary. |
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| [12] Get
to know respondents on the telephone before
you agree to a meeting (if meeting is appropriate
and unavoidable). You can pick things up in
people’s voices. It becomes harder for
them to think things up on the spot, as opposed
to typing comments online. But do be aware that
if the contact is fraudulent they may practiced
at deception and, therefore, very plausible. |
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| [13] Try
to avoid meeting. It may be that all that you
need can be accomplished in your Missing List
Control Centre and/or Missing List Forum. You
can also use MSN, email or conventional mail. |
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| [14] If
you are emailing outside of the Missing List
environment consider using an anonymous messaging
system such as Hotmail. Personal emails and
domain names can be traced. |
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| [15] Never
to go alone to a meeting. Take another person
with you and make sure that you tell a trusted
friend what you are doing, when you are doing
it, and when to expect your return. |
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| [16] As
much as possible try to control the environment
in which the meeting will take place. You choose
the location - a public place where you know
that there will be lots of people is good. |
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| [17] Never
carry substantial amounts of cash or other items
of value to a meeting. |
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| [18] Even
if you only have the vaguest intuition that
you may be physically vulnerable just don't
go - no matter what the inducement. If in doubt
consult the police. |
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| [19] End
all contact if someone attempts to pressure
you into anything that you are reluctant to
do and report to ABUSE >> and/or
the police. |
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| [20] Call
the police at any stage of the process
should you feel uncomfortable with the way
things are developing; and especially if
you suspect that you are in contact with
a criminal or that the respondent has criminal
intentions. For your safety we operate
a policy of complete transparency with the
police service. |
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| The above advice is not intended
to scare you just to keep you safe and on
the right side of the law. Take comfort
from the fact that there are many more good
people out there than bad. We wish you success
with your Missing List activity. |
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| For further information please
refer to: |
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GENERAL SAFETY
ADVICE >> |
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ABOUT >> |
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USER GUIDE >> |
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FAQs. >> |
