51 People Share Their Creepiest Real Experiences That Are Horrifying And Disturbing

It is most definitely not always obvious that the person you’ve just met is potentially dangerous. Threatening individuals can put up a very attractive front to appear like regular or even well-respected members of society.

For example, you may want to beware of so-called ‘dark triad’ personalities. The Cleveland Clinic warns that these people have three overlapping negative traits: narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism.

In short, they are arrogant, grandiose, constantly demand attention and your affection, and excessively love themselves. Furthermore, dark triad individuals tend to lack empathy or remorse and are prone to impulsive, antisocial, and even criminal behaviors. Moreover, they are often cynical, don’t value morality, and often lie, manipulate, and strategize to seize power.

Dark triad personalities are self-centered, project confidence, try to control others, and are masterful at gaining other people’s trust. They might flatter you with their charm or charisma to create a positive impression. However, all of this is a front that masks their true intentions.

Psychologist Susan Albers, PsyD, explains that these individuals “appear and act very confident” and tend to “occupy powerful positions in society.” Namely, they are “CEOs, cult leaders, bosses, and politicians.”

Other red flags to look for include individuals who lack emotional attachments, are prone to lying, engage in risky behavior, generally lack compassion, and have a jealous streak. Dark triad personalities also tend to be greedy, violent, and prone to bullying.

So, what do you actually do if you suspect that the person you’ve met is a dark triad personality? Well, the healthiest and safest thing to do is to avoid them. When you put distance between you and them, you’re protecting yourself physically, emotionally, and financially.

Unfortunately, that’s not always an option if that person is your boss, friend, or relative. In those cases, you should focus on educating yourself on the manipulative tactics that people use and establish very clear boundaries to avoid being taken advantage of.

It’s also helpful to be skeptical of what dark triad personalities tell you, and it helps to limit your reactions so that they don’t get the satisfaction of getting a rise out of you. The more composed and less interesting you appear, the quicker they will move on to someone else. Revenge against them is ill-advised because you might end up in an even more dangerous situation.

If you suspect that a loved one may be exhibiting dark triad tendencies, you may want to reach out to a therapist or a trusted member of your social circle for support and advice.

“Let’s Not Meet” has a long history. The online community was established way back in mid-November 2011. And, at the time of writing, it will soon be celebrating its 15th anniversary. The group currently has 31k subscribers.

The main draw of the subreddit is that it focuses on real stories, not fiction. The moderator team that runs the community stresses that this is a place to read “spine-tingling, unusual, terrifyingly true stories about people you never want to meet again.”

As the moderators highlight in the community’s main rules, there is absolutely no room for fiction or paranormal stories on “Let’s Not Meet.” The stories you read here are “real, in-person encounters with the living only.” Meanwhile, paranormal or fictional encounters can be shared in a variety of other subreddits that are out there.

The mods also stress that people’s stories shouldn’t primarily focus on lewd behavior or road rage.

Meanwhile, the stories that people share on the sub must be personal. If you post about something that happened to a friend or relative, the moderators can decide to remove the story. Other stories that tend to be removed are those about internet users knowing or having met someone who ended up doing horrible things later in life, but to other people, not them.

No matter what, the “Let’s Not Meet” community emphasises the importance of privacy. So, everyone is encouraged to use fictional names for the sake of anonymity.

That’s not to say that all members of “Let’s Not Meet” immediately believe everything they read on the subreddit. They are both allowed and even encouraged to question the truthfulness of a story, but they have to do it politely. What’s more, they should share the reasons why they think the story might not be true.

And, though it sounds obvious, the community members are reminded that they must not use artificial intelligence. Their stories should be written in their own words. The priority here is authenticity, not being a great writer.

According to the moderators, stories that do NOT belong on “Let’s Not Meet” include things such as getting a creepy look from a stranger on the street or a story that you had to exaggerate to make it sound dramatic.

On the other hand, stories that DO belong on the sub are experiences such as being stalked, being kidnapped or almost kidnapped, and encountering outright bizarre behaviors that regular people would never do.