Subject: I read something scary the other day.
See it's not all fun and games. . .
PLEASE READ AND PASS IT ON TO YOUR KIDS
Something to think about...
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. There she could talk to strangers without being
afraid. After all, none knew who she really was and couldn't hurt her.
She logged on under her screen name ByAngel213. Checking her Buddy List
she 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 cause
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: Do you pitch or what?
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
GoTo123 decided it was time to teach Angel a lesson. One she would
never forget. He 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. She had just
told him, He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30 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. "She'll be so surprised," he thought, "she
doesn't even know what she has done."
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 back of the shirt. He knew he
had found her.
Quietly he walked a safe distance behind her. He didn't want to
frighten her and have to explain what he was doing to anyone.
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 is a policeman and he 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 your on line 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 online. 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. PASS THIS ON!
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