sbl

Really! They charged me $8. When I reported the scam to the FBI office, they told me that the check would probably bounce and the bank would probably charge me--up to $35.

stumpy4700

Eric, If his conversation was threatening or sexual you need to report it to the police. Without me knowing exactly what was said, it will depend on if they follow up on the orginal report or not. At least this way it is on file incase this Bas#@rd ever does make contact again. More that likely it will just be a matter of record report and just documented for future use if needed, but in todays times it needs to be known. If you still have any of the user names he used and any info he said during the chats write it down to put in the report. If I can find it I'll post a good e-mail where a girl was online and just by a few chats a police officer posing as a pedophile found out everything about this girl without even asking her. Luckly he just notified her parents and wasn't a stalker out to hurt her. Real scary stuff this internet is..Be safe

stumpy4700

MYSPACE or Facebook: 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 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 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 thanked God
for protecting Shannon
from what could have been a tragic situation.

If anyone wants the orginal e-mail to send to others just pm me and I can e-mail it to you.

Eric

Couldn't be sure but I think both. And it is on file with the police. I told them everything I remembered but couldn't remember the username except that there were a lot of numbers in it. Thanx for the advice, though ! It's been 2 months now & nothing's happened so, hopefully, the whole thing's over with. Btw, it was only one chat and all he could've found out is that I like plants, especially bananas. He did most of the talking. Also, I was told that if he ever tried to contact me again, to keep him talking & get dad to come in and watch. He knows how to make a copy of the chat.

Stumpy!
Just read your last post! That's scary as hell!
She told him everything! I never let people know Anything about me! I might say I went out to eat but Never tell them where. My parents said people can use clues to figure out where ya are. I don't tell people my last name, phone number, address, and you can look through all my photo galleries, here, and won't find one photo that has our house in it. All parents & kids should Definitely have that story to read. In fact, I think it should be posted as a Sticky at this site, since there are young members here.
Thanx !
Btw, this is what dad had me read & agree to before I ever went on-line on the internet:
Safety Pledges
And I guess it's safe enough to say - no offense to anyone here - mailed packages never come to my address. Dad has to go pick them up for me. It's always safer to give an address of a trusted friend of the family.

island cassie

Bless you Eric - stay safe and don't be scared!

CValentine

Eric,

I have kids that use the internet & I monitor them & have software that 'helps' protect them, and me, just in case.
My kids do not use the computer when I am not there to supervise.
Most of the time it is for online Dictionary or research & references, or to e-mail their friends I know from our Home-School Co-operative group.
People I know & they know.
I have allowed them to sit in on some chats with me to see how people are supposed to conduct themselves.

My 14yo is an enthusiastic, inquisitive & friendly girl...she enjoys making new friends & meeting new people, AND she understands that there are people who look to exploit her...Both within her her peer group & out.
She had read the story about the girl that was reprinted above & (7 years ago)we had a friend who went through trying to protect their daughter from herself. She kept frequenting chatrooms & misrepresenting her age & they didn't find out until,(my then 14yo, now 21 yo daughter), told them what(their daughter, her friend)was doing & that she was disgusted...AND that the girl was having grown men calling the house.
Some people say kids will be kids, but my daughter was repulsed by the behavior of this former friend.

The internet is a real part of todays world...We as parents have to educate our young people in how to conduct themselves.
Your parents have done a good job Eric!!! You have the self-regulatory controls some kids don't have.
Kudos to you too!!

We are all here on this Forum medium to learn & share about our plants...share our experience & have some good clean FUN!!!
I enjoy having you & everyone else as a Forum Friend & thank each of of you for making it a Fabulous Family friendly place to visit!

Have a great week Eric & Everyone!! ~Cheryl

__________________
When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace. - Jimi Hendrix

BananaLee

When I'm uneasy, I pray to my Guardian Angel, he saved me a couple time and my dad. Here's a really cool true story: A girl was coming home from school and she went through a dark ally where she saw a big malicious-looking man. She said here Guardian Angel prayer and walked right passed the man. After wards the man mugged someone but was captured by the police, the girl went to the police station and found out the man was a murderer. She asked the man why he didn't attack her. He said he didn't want to take any chances with that really big, burly guy walking beside her. She said that there was no one with her. This same thing happened with my dad and a couple other people. I slipped in quicksand and I felt a hand grab my arm and hoist me up. I knew right away what it was.

Eric

Thanx Cheryl!! The "Thanx" button just wasn't enough! Yeah, I was taught real good how to behave & be safe on the internet & tell my friends about that stuff too so they'll be safe. And with this site, I just don't see any reason to go anywhere else!
But there are non-forum sites that are okay like "Nasa Human Spaceflight", "Lockheed", and "Math" & other school type sites!
And I wanna say Thanx to everybody here, too ! It's a Super place to be! Hope you & everybody else has a Super week, too!!

Levi , Very Glad you have a Guardian Angel watching after you! But Do play safe. It might give the angels a little more time to help someone else sometimes, too !!

stumpy4700

Good for you Eric, Although I haven't chatted with you much I have read your posts and you seem like a very smart young man. Your Dad should be real proud

damaclese

Eric I'm sorry that happened to you!! but it sounds like you handled it in the best way possible

i can say this being gay i belong to a number of social sites and we have to constantly watch for pedophiles i know every one thinks gay men are a higher % of this miscreant population but that just not true. i my self have reported just in the last 30 days alt least 3 people that have posted things about children i think the reason I'm telling you all this is so that you understand that Gay people are just as if not even more concerned with this bad ethical behaver and actively police the sites we belong to in a spiritual corrupt society thees kinds of things happen we just remain vigilant at all times to in sure the safety of not only children but men and woman too

__________________
Helping to foster understanding for the learning disabled

LilRaverBoi

See, even COPS are online predators now a days! Who can you trust!? LOL

PS...she was born in 1985 and is 13?? What an old story! I was born in 1985 and I'm 24.

And BananaLee...no offense to your beliefs, bro, but I wouldn't rely on your 'guardian angel' to protect you from everything. If that girl was smart, she would have just WALKED AWAY rather than walking past some scary-looking guy alone in a dark alley just because she prayed to her guardian angel. I'm sorry, but that's VERY stupid IMO. Again, no offense whatsoever meant to your beliefs....but don't use faith to blind you into making poor decisions.

__________________
BANANA RAVE!
Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top!
lilraverboi@genxglow.com
RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you!
I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!

Scuba_Dave

Another urban legend
But a good way to illustrate the dangers out there
Even an IP address can be backtracked to the location given the right equipment/person

Eric

Thanx Stumpy !! And Thanx for all the great advice !! Think I need to be a lot nicer to dad. He may seem like a real pain in the tail, sometimes, but he really does care. Think I'll start tonight and keep my stereo turned down. I can always use my headphones, anyway !!
Btw, if anyone else wants to call me a "very smart young man", I won't object !

Some people are gay & that's okay. I even read a news story about some kids who tried to kill a kid, in a Texas school, just cause he was gay. That was Horrible! Doesn't really matter if someone's gay or not, some people are just vicious and those vicious people are who I Definitely Don't wanna run into on the internet... or anywhere else! Btw, I have met gay people who have never tried to do anything wrong. But that guy in Stumpy's story wasn't gay & he killed that girl so it's not about being gay. Just that some people are good and some aren't.

Well, real or not, it's Definitely scary enough to make someone stop & think, for sure!

justjoan

Glad to hear you got this squared away. I am pretty careful with what I share and as far as Facebook goes I can't believe all the stuff folks put out on the air, OMG!! I did sign up there and after I, along with others, experienced some sort of virus from one of their applications, I really haven't gone back. Take care of you!

__________________



Friends are the siblings God never gave you

BananaLee

Oh ya guys I do play VERY safe. Never do much online stuff. The Org is basically it. And with the story, just wanted to share, I'm not trying to push anything like that, just a little story I found interesting. LilRavorboi, I don't find it stupid for her to walk passed a man, she was little. That's calling me really stupid too, I think it's more bravery than stupidity. You don't have to believe anything but it's good to be strong on what you believe and trust in, it seemed to work for me and has never failed me. Faith with cautiousness is not a bad thing.

Eric

You're right . Faith with cautiousness is not a bad thing, it's a good thing!
I like to be very cautious, so nothing bad can happen, but I do like the feeling that something is watching out for me! I know Bryan. He's not really tryin to down anyone. He just worries about other people and wants them to be safe.
Thanx for sharing the story! It's a good one !

BananaLee

Eric, that was a very smart thing to do, your parents should be proud of you! When something like that happens, I get uneasy to and I look paranoid and I shake a lot. You are very mature Eric! Once your out of the house, I think you'll do very well out in this creepy, unsuspecting world that we live in.

LilRaverBoi

YES...that's exactly my point. I never said faith was bad or stupid. My main point was this....NEVER rely ONLY on faith and put yourself in a dangerous situation because you 'trust faith to protect you.' The little girl story you mentioned is a perfect example. Here are her options....1) walk down a lit street where there are people or 2) walk down a dark alley where the only other person was a menacing-looking man. I think it's pretty safe to say which option is the smarter decision to make. Yet what did she do?? She prayed to her guardian angel and then made an incredibly stupid decision by walking down the dark alley. Sorry, but it's true. I'm not gonna try to make an argument about the power of faith, the presence of divine intervention, guardian angels, etc as this is NOT the point of this discussion. The fact of the matter is this.....DON'T MAKE POOR DECISIONS AND TRY TO JUSTIFY IT BY PRAYING TO A HIGHER BEING.

I'm sure this comment sounds a bit harsh, and I do not mean this in ANY way to be a personal attack on anyone here. Like Eric said, I'm not out to be mean to anyone. I'm a nice guy and am only trying to make a point here to encourage people to use common sense and make good decisions so they don't end up in a dangerous situation.

My main point here is to use common sense and good decision-making to AVOID dangerous situations, rather than to make poor decisions, put yourself in a bad position and then rely on faith to keep you safe. If I went down to the ghetto and started giving daring looks to dangerous looking people while praying to my guardian angel, $10 says I'd end up in the hospital or dead. Or I could drive around drunk/reckless without wearing a seatbelt because I trust a higher power to protect me. Sure, these are drastic examples, but you see my point.

And that's all I am getting at here...again, no disrespect meant to anyone or their faith.

__________________
BANANA RAVE!
Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top!
lilraverboi@genxglow.com
RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you!
I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!

BananaLee

No harm done and I see your point! Don't worry I'm not gonna go in to an ally, but it's always a little tense going out to Detroit! I loath drunk driving too so I won't drive drunk. The only thing people have to worry about is that I don't go on a crazy adventure and get myself killed!! Lol! Would love to sail the Great Lakes and fight modern day pirates! But while I'm dreaming I'd like to own a tropical Island...sigh...

damaclese

aaaa the blissful days of youth :-)

__________________
Helping to foster understanding for the learning disabled