MG
11-08-06, 07:56 AM
How safe are your kids?
i got this in my email and think everyone should have a read .......
>A MUST read for all Parents & Grand parents (Stranger Danger On-line)
>
>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 as the footsteps kept pace with
>her she was afraid to look back and was glad that she was almost home.
>Shannon said a quick prayer "God please get me home safe."
>
>She saw the veranda light burning and she leaned against the door for a
>moment, relieved to be in the safety of her own home. She glanced out the
>window to see if anyone was there. The footpath was empty....
>
>After tossing her books on the lounge room table she decided to grab a
>snack and get on-line. She logged on under her screen name "ByAngel213."
>She checked her Messenger list and saw her on-line friend "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 neighbourhood?
>
>ByAngel213: Of course I do. LOL I guess it was my imagination cuz' I didn't
>see anyone 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 netball 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 ice-skaters. LOL
>
>GoTo123: What is your team called?
>
>ByAngel213: We are the Liverpool Cats. We have tiger paws on our uniforms.
>They are really cool.
>
>GoTo123: Did you shoot
>goals?
>
>ByAngel213: No I play Goal Defence. I've got to go. My homework has to be
>done before my parents get home. I don't want them cranky 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, 1991, Age:13,
>State where she lived: New South Wales, Hobbies: Netball, Movies, skating
>and going to the mall.
>Besides this information, he knew she lived in Liverpool because she had
>just told him. He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30p.m. every afternoon
>until her parents came home from work. He knew she played netball on
>Thursday afternoons on the school team, and the team was named the
>Liverpool Cats. Her
>favourite position GD was printed on her uniform. He knew she was in the
>eighth grade at the Liverpool High School. She had told him all this in
>previous conversations they had 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
>netball that day. She didn't want them to make a scene and stop her from
>walking home from the courts. 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 Goal Circle
>position to see a man watching her closely. He was leaning
>against the seats at the end of the Court 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 in the stand 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 the Burger joint and sat there until time to make his
>move.
>
>Shannon was in her room later that evening when she heard voices in the
>lounge-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 netball courts sitting on
>the lounge chair.
>
>Sit down," her father began, "this man has 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 Hobart!
>
>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 talk 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 Netball team and the
>position you played. The position and name on your jersey just made finding
>you a breeze."
>
>Shannon was stunned. You mean you don't live in Hobart?"
>
>He laughed. "No, I live in Sydney 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 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.
>Promise?"
>
>That night Shannon and her dad and Mum 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 to not give any
>information about themselves. This world we live in today is too dangerous
>to even give out your age, let alone anything else.
i got this in my email and think everyone should have a read .......
>A MUST read for all Parents & Grand parents (Stranger Danger On-line)
>
>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 as the footsteps kept pace with
>her she was afraid to look back and was glad that she was almost home.
>Shannon said a quick prayer "God please get me home safe."
>
>She saw the veranda light burning and she leaned against the door for a
>moment, relieved to be in the safety of her own home. She glanced out the
>window to see if anyone was there. The footpath was empty....
>
>After tossing her books on the lounge room table she decided to grab a
>snack and get on-line. She logged on under her screen name "ByAngel213."
>She checked her Messenger list and saw her on-line friend "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 neighbourhood?
>
>ByAngel213: Of course I do. LOL I guess it was my imagination cuz' I didn't
>see anyone 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 netball 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 ice-skaters. LOL
>
>GoTo123: What is your team called?
>
>ByAngel213: We are the Liverpool Cats. We have tiger paws on our uniforms.
>They are really cool.
>
>GoTo123: Did you shoot
>goals?
>
>ByAngel213: No I play Goal Defence. I've got to go. My homework has to be
>done before my parents get home. I don't want them cranky 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, 1991, Age:13,
>State where she lived: New South Wales, Hobbies: Netball, Movies, skating
>and going to the mall.
>Besides this information, he knew she lived in Liverpool because she had
>just told him. He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30p.m. every afternoon
>until her parents came home from work. He knew she played netball on
>Thursday afternoons on the school team, and the team was named the
>Liverpool Cats. Her
>favourite position GD was printed on her uniform. He knew she was in the
>eighth grade at the Liverpool High School. She had told him all this in
>previous conversations they had 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
>netball that day. She didn't want them to make a scene and stop her from
>walking home from the courts. 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 Goal Circle
>position to see a man watching her closely. He was leaning
>against the seats at the end of the Court 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 in the stand 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 the Burger joint and sat there until time to make his
>move.
>
>Shannon was in her room later that evening when she heard voices in the
>lounge-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 netball courts sitting on
>the lounge chair.
>
>Sit down," her father began, "this man has 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 Hobart!
>
>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 talk 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 Netball team and the
>position you played. The position and name on your jersey just made finding
>you a breeze."
>
>Shannon was stunned. You mean you don't live in Hobart?"
>
>He laughed. "No, I live in Sydney 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 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.
>Promise?"
>
>That night Shannon and her dad and Mum 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 to not give any
>information about themselves. This world we live in today is too dangerous
>to even give out your age, let alone anything else.