Do your children use the internet? Warning, plz read!!

[bubblesx2]

Anyone that knows kids online should read

and share this !!!!

FootSteps Online!

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 online. 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 online. 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. hey are really cool.

GoTo123: Did you pitch?

ByAngel213: No, I play second base. I've 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 pm 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 eighth grade at the Canton Junior High School. She had told him all this in the conversations they had online. 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 xbase 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 online 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 and to teach you how dangerous it is to give out too much information to people online. 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 online. 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. 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 I was kinda freaked when I read this and want to share it with all of you, it really does make you think about your kids safety.

Well done, Senit it to everyone in my address book. Just how easy it could be. My babies 15 but never too old eh.

Denice37

[jayc1985]

thats some good advice and a good read there.

but i gotta highlight my antics of youth.

bout 5 years ago when i was only 15 i got bored one day and went into a chatroom and pretended to be a 20 summin stunning blonde femalewho was up for it, needless to say i got a taker. after a long period of discussion.. we had arranged a meetingpoint and all the details.

i couldnt resist i had too cycle up and laugh at the guy! thee ugliest sumbitch on the planet no wonder he was on a chatroom looking for it.

lookin back now im a young guy im going to laugh at things.. like that. but the advice u offer is sound. it really is that easy to be found if ur not careful.

Chris.

(yes my family did find out and well i almost didnt have the use of the internet)

Ohh the internet can be a scary place!! I had an internet stalker for a few years once. At first the guys was nice actually he was great! then slowly he started getting really really weird. We had swapped numbers and yapped on the phone even sent letters back and forth through the mail. Later I moced and didn't keep in contact and he got ahold of my old rrommate who gave him our new phone number ...then he started calling every day at all different times of the day and it was always collect...I wound up have to get ahold of his brother inlaw to get the phone calls to stop. Then my roommate started getting letters from people she didn't know it was like the guy gave our addy. out to whoever!! ....The only good part was that it was just a P.O. Box!!

It makes you think...We have 3 kids of own.

Excellent post Bubbles thanks! My boy isn't old enough yet and I am lucky enough to live in quiet little Guernsey. But you can never be too careful!

Wow, snm sorry to hear of your troubles, hope everything is cool now!

i doubt theres any truth in that story. seems like scare mongering to me. if u really wanted to kidnap somone you dont need to go through all that hasstle. and if you want to find somone on the internet its not hard to say "do u want to meet up?"

and jayc, ugly people have feelings too!

Haha, one time I pretended to be a 17 year old girl in a chatroom and talked to some guy and actually got him to call me and I was talking in a little girl voice while he was very audiably masturbating until I couldn't take it anymore and fucking busted out laughing.

also I am quite obviously a guy.

[tricks27]

i would like to thank you very much for this bubbles and im going to be sending it out to all my friends especially those with girls. it really does need to be highlighted

im really quite disgusted with you snatcha! do you NOT read the papers or watch the news? this sort of thing is happening all over the world! the uk have had several just such cases and the problem needs to be addressed and our children and women need to be warned that this DOES happen for real

you shouldnt be ridiculing someone who is trying to help ridour world of monsters wake up to the real world now and help someone before it hits someone close to you GOD FORBID it ever does

well stuff like this might happen but worrieing about it aint gonna help matters. whats the point of this topic?

hey this is my story. a girl went out and got kidnaped and was never seen again! so never let your children out the house. go send this to everyone!