>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? > >ByAngel21 3: > Of course I do. LOL I guess it was my imagination cuz' I didn't >seeanybody 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? > >B yAngel213: >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 t o 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. > > > > > > 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
FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar MSN Toolbar Get it now! Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check out new cars at Yahoo! Autos. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
