Hi all - a bit of reading here, but this is how kids can be targeted and identity fraud/theft aided.
Anyone who has kids, grandkids, nieces/nephews, anyone who talks on line need to read this and get their kids to 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 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 bees. LOL.
GoTo123:
What is your team called?
ByAngel213:
We are the Chelsea Cats. We have tiger paws on our uniforms. They are really cool.
GoTo123:
Did you throw any goals?
ByAngel213:
No, I play defence. 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: Victoria
Hobbies: netball, chorus singing, rollerskating, and going to the mall to meet friends. Besides this information, he knew she lived in Chelsea 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 netball on Thursday afternoons on the school team, and the team was named the Chelsea Cats. Her favorite number 7 was printed on her netball shirt. He knew she was in the eighth grade at the Chelsea 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 netball 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 on-court position to see a man watching her closely..
He was leaning against the fence behind the goal post 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 bench 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 netball park 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! GoTo123 is a kid my age! He's 14. And he lives in Western Australia !"
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 netball team and the position you played. The number and name on your netball shirt just made finding you a breeze."
Shannon was stunned. "You mean you don't live in Western Australia ?"
He laughed. "No, I live and work here in Melbourne .. 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!"
Bob