MUST READ! - Truckers' Trucking Forum | Message Board

GuysLady · **^ Top** #1 08.29.2007

I recieved this as an email from my cousin today....This is a must read for EVERYONE, especially those with ANY connection to any child!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MYSPACE: A Must Read for All

EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ ALL OF THIS and HAVE 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.

GoTo1 23:
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 overreacti ng 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****

EVEN FORWARD THIS TO PEOPLE WITHOUT KIDS SO THEY CAN SEND IT TO FRIENDS THAT DO HAVE CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please, be safe out there! And make sure all our children stay safe!

Bonnie

leannamarie · **^ Top** #2 08.30.2007

We handed this out to parents at Back to School night a few years ago. It is so frustrating to battle the kids on the release of personal info. They see it as no big deal. But I have to admit, now that I have joined this forum, I catch myself revealing too much online and I really have to watch myself.

GuysLady · **^ Top** #3 08.30.2007

So do I, but I am perfectly capable of taking care of me, so I don't worry too much. It's my sweet little "blonde" I worry about!

Bonnie

roadhog · **^ Top** #4 08.30.2007

This gave me goose bumps - I always try and keep a close eye on my daughter - but this really freaked me out - she's big into horses and sports- boy, she thought I watched her before - she ain't seen nothing yet - thanks guyslady!

Brickman · **^ Top** #5 08.30.2007

I don't have or ever plan on having a myspace page. If I were to have kids I doubt I would let them either until they were 18.

Attitude:) · **^ Top** #6 08.30.2007

Thanks! I copied it and forwarded it to everyone on my list

MaggieSunshine : ) · **^ Top** #7 09.01.2007

Thanks and I have been watching about this on Fox news, how men will do this so now the government has gotten involved since so many childen have come up missing or dead. But it is not only girls because they do it to boys too.

I am on the computer a lot and I always try to be careful but I know some people( PUTER GENIUS) have a way of getting information on you. I am older and have two sons and they are married and I have three grandchildren and another one on the way. I have my sister who had to adopt her four grandkids and raise them so I have helped her a lot with them. I know the two girls I always worry about because they are very pretty and young, vunerable and still naive. So they are also like my kids because I have kept them a lot to help my sister out. I will not let them have a my space on my computer because to many weridos and jerks out there. I will only allow them to do paint or games on my computer. Now they have their own computer at home that they got for Christmas and this really worrys me because my sister's health is not all that good and I know she does not watch them like I do. But I am constansly talking to them about all of this and what to be careful with and all I can do is hope I have had some influence on them to be very careful on the computer or anywhere when you talk to strangers and people can tell you anything over the computer so never give out any infor. on yourself. I hope all of these weird people and jerks are found and lock away for life messing with our children. That is only the downfall to having internet because of such things not to mention all of the other crap. I know I use it for education, studing and for some of my groups. Internet is very resourceful if use in the right perspective. I am going to make a copy of this and show it to my nieces and nephews.
Thank You, Take care and Have a good day.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes	Rate This Thread
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode	Rate This Thread:

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Trucker Forum	Replies	Last Post
Read this	Peeping_Tom	A Discussion About EVERYTHING	27	11.05.2008 06.59 PM
please read!!!!!!!	binder_boy	Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]	86	03.13.2008 11.30 PM
Please Read and Think about It...........	peanut	Politics	1	02.01.2008 06.19 PM
Read If You Can	VULCAN1999	A Discussion About EVERYTHING	14	08.31.2007 05.17 PM
Can you read??????	brinkj23	Truckers' Photo Shack \| Art Gallery	13	09.30.2006 08.40 AM

Truckers' Trucking Forum/Message Board - The Premiere Truck Driver Forum
Sponsored Links

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)