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For now, here is a story I received in email, which may or may not be true,
but certainly could be ...
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 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 cool.
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 print! ed 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 sat back. 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"
"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 thanked God
for protecting Shannon from what could have been a tragic situation.
*****NOW*****
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.
EVEN FORWARD THIS TO PEOPLE WITHOUT KIDS, SO THEY CAN SEND IT TO FRIENDS WHO DO.
All the children out there like Shannon will! thank you and I thank you
too......
Patricia P. Walton
Dispatch Supervisor
Chandler Police Department
