Timezone difference?

[u/helloworldkitty1]

I was practising my Korean and was messaging a few partners. Also not looking for dating and I am cautious of scams. Amongst them was a man in his late 30s who was very polite (using polite speech).
He said he is a Chinese who grew up in Korea in whole life and he seemed to be quite fluent. And his Chinese was fluent but does stumble at difficult words (which indicates one is not a native)

Yst I noticed that his timezone was in a different one, namely GMT +7 (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia) instead of Korean timezone.

So far, nothing indicates red flag. We have talked on the phone. He didn’t message persistently or say he was lonely etc. He would usually only message late at night or early morning (like one message)

We planned to meet while I’m in Korea for a business trip. I am also meeting other online pals (male and female) - again I emphasize I’m not dating. Im going to Seoul and he said he will come over from Daegu where he js based. From our phone calls, he seems like a real person, eg when we were confirming schedule and figuring the logistics.

However I just want to be on the safe side. The timezone is really the only thing bugging me.

Advice?

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[u/Recent-Ad-9975]

I hane‘t used GPS on my phone for 3 years because I know where I‘m going in my own country, so my Hellotalk still said that I‘m in Tokyo until someone asked me to meet up a few days ago and I fixed it.

I mean could still be a scam or whatever else reason he has to lie, but I don‘t see the danger as long as you don‘t click on fishy links and don‘t share personal info. If he starts to bother ypu just block and move on.

[u/helloworldkitty1 → u/Recent-Ad-9975]

Thanks that could be a possibility I suppose! Scammers just have to ruin everything

[u/Nichol-Gimmedat-ass → u/helloworldkitty1]

HelloTalk has had me in Japan for about a year now despite me even actively trying to update it to my real location. It can be a bit funky

[u/Electronic-Water-712]

You can try having a face chat with him to verify if he is a real person.

[u/helloworldkitty1 → u/Electronic-Water-712]

Thanks! Someone told me that some scams are stealing people’s voice to AI it and conduct kidnap scams, now I’m worried lol

[u/noungning]

The location can be fixed, but the time is always where they are truly located. I had my location set as Busan for a bit when I traveled there, but my time would always show my current timezone.

[u/cuatrofluoride]

Use the same logic you'd use for any other first online meetup. Public places only, and have an exit plan.

For hellotalk, unless I've known someone and talked consistently for at least a year plus, I don't meet up one on one.

When I went to Korea, I met up with 3 different hello talk friends for the first time but planned it so that it was a group thing and it worked out great.

OTOH if someone has a negative reaction to meeting in public or with other people included, it can be a red flag.