Story for cyberwellness.
MY SPACE : A Must Read for All who have children or
grandchildren
> EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ ALL OF THIS and HAVE YOUR CHILDREN
READ
> IT TOO!
>
> 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 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 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 ballpark 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 sudden 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 injure
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 talk to people on-line. You told
me
> enough about yourself to make it easy for me to
> find you. You named 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 THAT DO HAVE CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN.
see? 
