I think that the best way to deal with any situation where you meet new people, either IRL or online, who seems to be 'in need' of anything, is with a healthy dose of both cautious detachment and concerned caring. It is possible to offer advice and support without getting attached immediately simply because we're human and we decide in the end who we're going to be friends with and who we're just going to be acquaintances with.

I used to read Tarot for fun & profit to the general public, and it used to frustrate me so badly when the cards would offer sound advice to someone in a bad situation, but week after week they kept coming back to hear the same advice - they would never attempt to change their circumstances or move forward, and the cards would tell them the same thing, over & over again. Some people just need validation for their feelings - I had to learn that 'giving' advice is like giving someone a gift - you can't be too attached to the advice or its outcome. There were many times I wanted so badly to just tell the client, "Look, this isn't doing anything for you - why don't you stop coming by?", but I also had to learn that some people weren't coming to be healed by my amazing psychic powers, they were just looking for someone who would listen to them & act as a sounding board for their own emotions & worries.