Personal Safety¶

These guides help you protect yourself when other people are the danger. They focus on getting away, staying out of sight, and calling for help. They do not ask you to confront anyone.

If this is happening right now¶

1. Move away from the danger if you can do so safely.
2. Call your local emergency number (911 in the United States and Canada, 112 across the European Union, 999 in the United Kingdom) when you are safe enough to speak.
3. Follow instructions from police and other officials.

Other countries are listed on the emergency numbers page.

The guides¶

Civil unrest¶

Riots, violent protests, and curfews: how to avoid the area, shelter in place, get out of a crowd, and treat tear gas exposure.

Active attacker¶

Run, Hide, Fight guidance from US agencies and Run, Hide, Tell guidance from UK police, plus what to do when police arrive.

Home break in¶

What to do if you hear an intruder, what to do if you come home to a break in, and how to secure your home afterwards.

Robbery and mugging¶

What to do if someone demands your belongings: cooperate calmly, prioritize your life over property, and call police when safe.

Bank robbery and active heist¶

What to do during a bank robbery or armed heist: how to cooperate, stay calm, avoid confrontation, and assist law enforcement safely.

Carjacking¶

How to stay safe if targeted in a vehicle, giving up the car immediately, protecting children in the car, and calling for emergency help.

Being followed¶

Steps to take if you suspect someone is following you on foot or in a car: go to a well-lit public place and contact police.

Lost child¶

Immediate actions when a child goes missing in public or at home, searching high-risk areas, notifying security, and calling police right away.

Suspicious package¶

How to identify a suspicious box, envelope, or bag, what not to do, and how to evacuate and notify authorities.

Domestic violence¶

Safety planning, urgent steps when in immediate danger, confidential hotlines, and how to get help safely.

Human trafficking¶

Recognizing signs of sex and labor trafficking, safe non-confrontational actions, confidential hotlines, and connecting victims to professional support.

Scams and fraud¶

What to do if scammed: freezing bank accounts, contact emergency police fraud units, credit freezes, and reporting identity theft.

Romance scams and catfishing¶

How to identify romance scams and catfishing, pig butchering crypto schemes, reverse image search verification, elder fraud intervention, and financial recovery.

Multi-level marketing and pyramid schemes¶

How to evaluate multi-level marketing (MLM) claims, understand income disclosure statements, execute inventory buybacks, and exit predatory recruitment schemes.

Cyberattack and identity theft¶

What to do if your accounts are hacked or your identity is stolen: securing email, multi-factor authentication, credit locks, and official recovery.

Sextortion and explicit deepfake blackmail¶

What to do if targeted by sextortion or sexually explicit AI deepfakes: stopping payment, preserving evidence, emergency takedowns, and reporting.

Bomb threats¶

What to do during a bomb threat: telephone threat checklists, evacuation rules, search distance safety, and reporting to police.

Travel emergencies abroad¶

What to do during emergencies while traveling internationally: lost passports, medical evacuation, consular help, and emergency contacts.

Unsafe rideshare or taxi driver¶

What to do if a rideshare or taxi driver is impaired, aggressive, route-deviating, or threatening: verify identity, in-app emergency tools, safe exit, and police contact.

Exiting a bad date gracefully and safely¶

Polite strategies, escape plans, code words, and graceful exit tactics when on an uncomfortable or un-enjoyable date.

Package theft and porch piracy defense¶

What to do when a delivered package is stolen, reporting porch piracy, carrier claims, credit card purchase protection, and theft prevention.

Police misconduct and civil rights defense¶

How to safely handle law enforcement misconduct, de-escalation posture, exercising constitutional rights, cloud video recording, and filing formal accountability complaints.

Domestic violence recovery and safety plan¶

How to safely escape an abusive domestic partner, maintain digital secrecy, pack an emergency go bag, and obtain civil protection orders.

Active shooter in public venues, theaters, and stadiums¶

Surviving an active shooter in crowded arenas, cineplexes, and outdoor festivals: bottleneck evasion, physical cover vs concealment, and police breach survival.

Drink spiking and suspected drugging¶

Emergency medical and safety response when a drink is spiked with GHB, Rohypnol, or ketamine: rapid physiological symptom triage, buddy extraction, and toxicology windows.

Hostage situations and armed abduction¶

Psychological and physical survival during an armed abduction or hostage incident: compliance posture, Stockholm-syndrome dynamics, and surviving tactical rescue breaches.

Good habits for every situation¶

• Know two ways out of any building you are in.
• Keep your phone charged and your emergency contacts easy to find.
• Agree on a meeting place with the people you live with, using the family plan.

Related guides¶

• Family emergency plan
• Emergency kit
• Emergency numbers