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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    13,624

    A Must Read For Parents & Grandparents

    This is scary but unfortunately true... Please pass it on to anyone who has children or grandchildren on line and think they're safe.
    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. Bes ides 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 a nd 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!"

    *****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.





    Tinyurl is the answer for posting long urls!!!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Under the sea
    Posts
    4,208
    wow, chainletter, but its a good one..

  3. #3
    Maybe the person that made it up shouldchange the age and date so it is more realistic.


    Why was I supposed to read it again? Thats right, without a stupid made up chain letter I could never know to educate my child about online dangers.


    I hope there is a chain letter for real life. I need one for smoking, one for drugs, one for reading stupid chain letters...
    Technical Advisor for new A&E Series The Killing Season
    There are no random acts of violence
    Starts November 5th!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    7,954
    A local radio morning show actually did something similar to this a few months back. Using the same technique there were able to find a junior high girl. They went to the house when the mother was home and taped the conversation for air.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Posts
    4,667
    1998. It's a pre-MySpace chain-letter.

    http://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/shannon.asp
    Status: False.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Under Your Skin
    Posts
    5,904
    This is a chain letter that could do some good... heck this could happen.
    Windows 10 to Linux and Mac OSX: I'm PARSECs better than you. Eat my dust!!!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Kennesaw, GA
    Posts
    1,033
    This story, at least as told, is most certainly false. This is written, not like an account of true events, but like a lame short story.

    Anyway, not to detract from the overall intent, but I think I can handle my daughter without turning to chain letters from parental guidance.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    13,624
    Even if this incident is false,THE ISSUE IS VERY REAL AND SCARY!!!!!!!!





    Tinyurl is the answer for posting long urls!!!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Newport Beach, CA
    Posts
    2,923
    errr. it's not possibly false, it IS false. Techno even linked the exact page explaining it.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Odd Fact
    A local radio morning show actually did something similar to this a few months back. Using the same technique there were able to find a junior high girl. They went to the house when the mother was home and taped the conversation for air.


    If this were my daughter there would be no conversation between me and the radio guy. The only words would be him telling his producer to tell his family that he loved them and goodbye. Of course my daughter would be handled seperately.

    What the hell gives a radio guy the right to use a child for his ratings. I agree the point needs to be made over and over again of the dangers. NBC has been doing this and doing so the right way, by imposing themself on an adult under real circumstances and not a made up story.

    I am not trying to sound like a tough guy, heck I am an old cripple with a bad heart and back. I honestly would beat this radio guy until the stench from his recently defacted in underware is too much to bare.
    Technical Advisor for new A&E Series The Killing Season
    There are no random acts of violence
    Starts November 5th!

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    7,954
    I thought it was out of line. I am sure they contacted the family first to discuss using the bit. I think 60 minutes did this as well but did use a police officer and may have contacted the families first.

    Still pretty scary stuff someone can find. Kids can be very trusting and naive. I wish that kids today could have a more ideal childhood but life makes it hard.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    Twin Cities Area
    Posts
    5,649
    i had a computer in my boys room and allowed them access to the internet to do homework and xbox research.

    well, as luck would not have it, one day some horrific popup (porn) happened. dont ask me how.

    i promptly removed the computer from their room.

    it wasnt their fault, but im not taking any chances at all!
    if you haven't considered chapter 7 bankruptcy, maybe you should.
    eliminate your debt, keep the property you want, most people qualify.
    contrary to popular belief - no attorney is necessary!

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