[Nfbf-l] * Alert!!! Footsteps On Line

[Alan Dicey]

Alert!!!
PLEASE DON'T IGNORE THIS... I know two teenagers who fell prey to on-line 
predators. READ AND DISCUSS WITH YOUR FAMILY!
  _____
Footsteps 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 the footsteps kept up with her 
pace. She was afraid to look back and she was glad she was almost home. 
Shannon said a quick prayer, "God please get me home safe." She saw the 
porch light burning and she leaned against the door for a moment, relieved 
to be in the Safety of her home. She glanced out the window to see if anyone 
was there. The sidewalk was empty. After tossing her books on the sofa, she 
decided to grab a snack and get on-line.
She logged on under her screen name By Angel213.
She checked her Buddy List and saw GoTo123 was on. She sent him an instant 
message: ***** By Angel213: 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.
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 eight 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 
ball park 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 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 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 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? 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*****
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  WHO 
DO HAVE CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN.....