Safety tips

IMVU makes it easy to connect with friends, new and old. As a product that connects you to people from around the world, it's important to remember that chatting with people you don't know could expose you to danger. As a product that is committed to user safety as our number one priority, here, are some common sense guidelines that you should follow when using IMVU:

  • Avatars aren't always who they say they are. Be careful about adding strangers to your friends list. IMVU avatars allow you to be yourself without exposing any personal information. While it's fun to connect with lots of IMVU friends from all over the world, avoid providing any information that could be used to personally identify you.
  • Be safe in Chat. If someone in a Chat says or wears something that you find offensive, abusive or inappropriate, click the "Report Abuse" button or close the Chat window. If the person continues to reach out to you, block them. IMVU takes abuse reports very seriously and will quickly take action. To block a user, please follow the steps below:
    1. Sign into your account.
    2. From your homepage go to Account, located in the upper right corner of your homepage next to your avatar name.
    3. Scroll down to the Privacy and Safety section.
    4. In your Friends & User Settings, click on "Manage blocked users list".
    5. Enter the avatar name you want to block where it says "Block Contact "and press Block.
  • Have a safe Homepage. IMVU encourages you to build your IMVU identity around your avatar. A good way to remain safe online is to keep all personally identifying information off of your homepage (e.g., your real name, your phone number, address, screens names from other IM clients, or specific whereabouts). Don't give away personal information of any kind. IMVU strongly recommends you not upload pictures of yourself. Instead, spend time making your avatar represent who you are and use that avatar in your pictures. If you come across another user's homepage that you find offensive, report it immediately.
  • In-person meetings can be dangerous. Meeting up in the real world with people you meet online is *not* always a great idea. IMVU offers plenty of opportunities to meet your online friends in cool Chat Rooms. If you choose to meet an online friend in the real world, there are some very important rules to consider:
    • Meet only people you feel you know well, have known for a long time, and only with your parents' knowledge and permission.
    • Meet in a public place, such as a mall or coffee shop.
    • Go with a parent or 18+ sibling or friend, (even if you are an adult yourself).
    • Make sure the person you're meeting is not alone, but coming with a parent/other adult.
  • Be honest about your age. If you are under 13 and pretend to be older, IMVU will remove your account. If you are over 18 and pretend to be younger to contact underage users, IMVU will remove your account. If you are under 18 and pretend to be older to contact older users, IMVU will remove your account.
  • No IMVU staff member will ever ask for your password or email Don't fall for any scam that asks for your IMVU password or your personal email address especially if it comes to you from someone who claims to be an IMVU Staff member. IMVU Staff can easily contact you via the email address you used to register your account. If you change email addresses, please update your IMVU account.
  • Don't get hooked by a phishing scam. Phishing is a method used by fraudsters to try to get your personal information, such as your username and password, by pretending to be a site you trust. A common way IMVU users may have their accounts stolen is by logging in to a site that looks like IMVU but isn't. When logging in, always make sure the URL includes da.imvu.com or that you are using the 3D Chat client downloaded from our site. Click here to learn more information from the Federal Trade Commission.
  • To learn more please visit these other resources:

  • OnGuard Online: FTC safety tips
  • Teen Internet Safety Tips - Web MD
  • Netsmartz.org
  • KidsHealth.Com
  • SafeTeens.com
  • CyberTipLine.com

If you have any further questions, please contact us by clicking the Help link on any IMVU Page where you can search through our self-help content and ask for more help from other users and IMVU.