----- Original Message ----- From: Blake, Stephanie <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, September 25, 2000 4:08 PM Subject: FW: Warning for kids]] > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Belgum, Eric > Sent: Monday, September 25, 2000 8:27 AM > To: Blake, Stephanie; '[EMAIL PROTECTED]'; '[EMAIL PROTECTED]'; > Vella, Andrea > Subject: Warning for kids]] > > > > > > >> Subject: A Warning for Kids > >> > > >> 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: You watch too much TV. Why would someone be following you? > >> Don't you live in a safe neighborhood? > >> ByAngel213: Of course I do. 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. Their uniforms are so gross! They > >> look like bees. 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 it was 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!" > >> ********************* > >> 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 >
