Why Parents should beware of what kids
are doing on the web. Please Read This:
I received this as a forward in my mail. I am putting
this on a web page so it will be easyier to pass around.
When you forward things so many times, people sometimes
give on up when it takes to long to load up. I feel this
is important for everyone to read. Had this been any other
thing, I would have deleted it. I am the mother of 3
children and I feel this is one way of making younger
people understand the importance of revealing to much about
oneself on the internet. If this helps to protect even one
child, it was worth sharing with others. And please pass
this along to all of your young ones or parents of internet
users...It could happen!
Shannon could hear the footsteps behind her as she walked
toward home. The thought of being followed made her heart
beat faster. "You're being silly," she told herself, "no
one is following you." To be safe, she began to walk
faster, but the footsteps kept up with her pace.
She was afraid to look back and she was glad she was
almost home. Shannon said a quick prayer, "God please get
me home safe."
She saw the porch light burning and ran the rest of the
way to her house. Once inside, she leaned against the door
for a moment, relieved to be in the safety of her home. She
glanced out the window to see if anyone was there. The
sidewalk was empty. After tossing her books on the sofa,
she decided to grab a snack and get on-line. She logged on
under her screen name ByAngel213. She checked her Buddy
List and saw GoTo123 was on. She sent him an instant
message:
ByAngel213: Hi I'm glad you are on! I thought someone
was following me home today. It was really weird!
GoTo123: LOL You watch too much TV. Why would someone
be following you? Don't you live in a safe neighborhood?
ByAngel213: Of course I do. LOL I guess it was my
imagination cuz' I didn't see anybody when I looked out.
GoTo123: Unless you gave your name out on-line. You
haven't done that have you?
ByAngel213: Of course not. I'm not stupid you know.
GoTo123: Did you have a softball game after school
today?
ByAngel213: Yes and we won!!
GoTo123: That's great! Who did you play?
ByAngel213: We played the Hornets. LOL. Their
uniforms are so gross! They look like bees. LOL
GoTo123: : What is your team called?
ByAngel213: We are the Canton Cats. We have tiger paws
on our uniforms. They are really kewl.
GoTo123: Did you pitch?
ByAngel213:: No I play second base. I got to go. My
homework has to be done before my parents get home. I don't
want them mad at me. Bye
GoTo123: Catch you later.. Bye
Meanwhile......
GoTo123 went to the member menu and began to search for
her profile. When it came up, he highlighted it and
printed it out. He took out a pen and began to write down
what he knew about Angel so far.
Her name: Shannon
Birthday: Jan. 3, 1985
Age:13
State where she lived: North Carolina
Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the
mall.
Besides this information, he knew she lived in Canton
because she had just told him. He knew she stayed by
herself until 6:30 p.m. every afternoon until her parents
came home from work. He knew she played softball on
Thursday afternoons on the school team, and the team was
named the Canton Cats. Her favorite number 7 was printed on
her jersey. He knew she was in the seventh grade at the
Canton Junior High School. She had told him all this in the
conversations they had on-line. He had enough information
to find her now.
Shannon didn't tell her parents about the incident on
the way home from the ball park that day. She didn't want
them to make a scene and stop her from walking home from
the softball games. Parents were always overreacting and
hers were the worst. It made her wish she was not an only
child. Maybe if she had brothers and sisters, her parents
wouldn't be so overprotective.
By Thursday, Shannon had forgotten about the footsteps
following her. Her game was in full swing when suddenly she
felt someone staring at her. It was then that the memory
came back. She glanced up from her second base position to
see a man watching her closely. He was leaning against the
fence behind first base and he smiled when she looked at
him.
He didn't look scary and she quickly dismissed the fear
she had felt. After the game, he sat on a bleacher while
she talked to the coach. She noticed his smile once again
as she walked past him. He nodded and she smiled back. He
noticed her name on the back of her shirt. He knew he had
found her. Quietly, he walked a safe distance behind her.
It was only a few blocks to Shannon's home, and once he
saw where she lived he quickly returned to the park to get
his car. Now he had to wait. He decided to get a bite to
eat until the time came to go to Shannon's house. He drove
to a fast food restaurant and sat there until time to make
his move.
Shannon was in her room later that evening when she
heard voices in the living room. "Shannon, come here," her
father called. He sounded upset and she couldn't imagine
why. She went into the room to see the man from the
ballpark sitting on the sofa. "Sit down," her father began,
"this man has just told us a most interesting story about
you." Shannon moved cautiously to a chair across from the
man. How could he tell her parents anything? She had never
seen him before today!
"Do you know who I am Shannon?" The man asked. "No",
Shannon answered.
"I am a police officer and your online friend,
GoTo123."
Shannon was stunned. "That's impossible! GoTo is a kid
my age! He's 14 and he lives in Michigan!"
The man smiled. "I know I told you all that, but it
wasn't true. You see Shannon there are people on-line who
pretend to be kids; I was one of them. But while others do
it to find kids and hurt them, I belong to a group of
parents who do it to protect kids from predators. I came
here to find you to teach you how dangerous it is to give
out too much information to people on-line. You told me
enough about yourself to make it easy for me to find you.
Your name, the school you went to, the name of your ball
team and the position you played. The number and name on
your jersey just made finding you a breeze."
Shannon was stunned. "You mean you don't live in
Michigan?"
He laughed. "No, I live in Raleigh. It made you
feel safe to think I was so far away, didn't it?" She
nodded. "I had a friend whose daughter was like you. Only
she wasn't as lucky. The guy found her and murdered her
while she was home alone. Kids are taught not to tell
anyone when they are alone, yet they do it all the time
on-line. The wrong people trick you into giving out
information a little here and there on-line. Before you
know it, you have told them enough for them to find you
without even realizing you have done it. I hope you've
learned a lesson from this and won't do it again." "I
won't," Shannon promised solemnly.
"Will you tell others about this so they will be safe
too?"
"It's a promise!" That night Shannon and her dad and
Mom all knelt down together and prayed. They thanked God
for protecting Shannon from what could have been a tragic
situation.
*********************************************************
Please send this to as many people as you can to teach them
not to give any information about themselves. This world we
live in today is too dangerous to even give out your age,
let alone anything else. Be safe. PLEASE PASS THIS ON!
E-mail me at AnnUnicorn@webtv.net
Please come back soon and visit me.
This page hosted by
Get your own Free Home Page