safety
How to stay safe while asking for a hand
Asking for help should never cost you your privacy, and it should never be the tool you reach for in a crisis.
The order of operations
Danger, injury, fire, a crime in progress: 911. Campus emergency: campus police or public safety for that school, or 911. Everything else on this page assumes nobody is in danger.
Keep the map honest
Live help shows as an approximate area of about 500 meters. Precise location moves only after a helper is accepted and you say yes, and only to that person. You can stop sharing. Completion ends exact sharing automatically.
On supported iPhones, precision finding exists only when both people opt in. You never owe anyone your house pin. A grocery vestibule is a complete sentence.
- Meet in public, lit, populated ground.
- Tell a friend where you are going.
- Keep report and block one tap away — they sit in every request.
- Leave the moment something feels wrong. Politeness is not a safety plan.
Who is allowed to help
Only people with a current staff-reviewed approval can see or accept requests. That is identity evidence plus a human decision. It is not a criminal background check. Treat a helper as a neighbor who was willing to stop, not as a vetted contractor.
If it goes sideways
Walk away. Call 911 if you need official response. In the app, report and block. Staff can act on reports. Email support@helpme.fyi if you need a person on our side after the fact — a person reads it.
Questions people actually ask
Can a helper see my house from the map?
Not from the open request. They see a coarse area. Exact location is off until you consent after they accept, and you can meet at a public place instead.
Does helper approval mean they were background-checked?
No. Staff review identity evidence. We do not run or advertise a criminal background check.
Should I stay if I feel uneasy?
No. Leave. Official help first if you are in danger. Report and block in the app when you are safe.
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.
safety
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.
how-to
Meet in public. That is the whole rule.
Public meeting places for Help Me in Fargo, Moorhead, and West Fargo: unions, libraries, grocery vestibules, malls, and lit lots — not home pins.
privacy
How location works — and how it does not
Help Me shows a coarse ~500 m area, not a pin on you. Exact location is shared only after a helper accepts and you consent.
safety
How to report or block — without writing an essay
Report or block anyone, any time in Help Me. Safety actions sit in every request. Staff can act on reports. Call 911 first if you are in danger.
emergency
Emergencies: 911, then the right local desk
Call 911 in Fargo, West Fargo, Moorhead, and Dilworth. Campus police and 211 are next. Help Me is not emergency response.
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.