How is your child spending their time?

[LifeHiscost]

After tossing her books on the lounge, 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 basketball 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 Top Cats. We have tiger paws on our

uniforms. They are really cool.

GoTo1 23:

Did you score?

ByAngel213:

No I play defense. 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: New South Wales

Hobbies: basketball, chorus, skating and going to the

shops. Besides this information, he knew she lived in

Charlestown 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

basketball on Thursday afternoons on the school team, and

the team was named the Top Cats. Her favorite number 7

was printed on her jersey. He knew she was in the eighth

grade at the St Marys 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 park that day. She didn't want

them to make a scene and stop her from walking home from

the ball 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 position to see a man

watching her closely.

He was leaning against the fence behind 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 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 park sitting on the lounge.

'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 Sydney!'

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

Sydney?'

He laughed. 'No, I live in Taree. 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.

_______________________________________________________________

A friend suggested I pass this along to those I would like to see safe and sound in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Regards!

[phkrause]

I think I have heard that story before. Pretty scary I'd say.

pk

[Amelia]

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

[LifeHiscost]

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

Thanks for the info, Amelia. I've been watching some video recently of other dangers facing our young people today. Somehow I'm not assured by the recognition that this message only came from a false source. I guess I've seen too much of the real thing in my own family as well as recognizing that 25% of the female population, depending upon where the figures come from, in America will be sexually assaulted before reaching adulthood.

Regards!

"And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." Matt 24:12 KJV

[cricket]

It is a scare tactic used by the D.A.R.E. group here as well. I'd say it's pretty effective considering the conversations I've had with young people who've taken the course. They are getting the message to keep their personal information private and to be leary about those with whom they have online conversations.

There are a few members here that have waaaay too much information about me; sometimes I think what a poor example I'm being to my kids.

It's a good story--even if it's not true. (Hehehe. I just had a funny thought: wonder how many of Jesus' parables would have been "snoped" if He were telling His stories today?)*

*See PM.

[Amelia]

That this is not a "Real" senario does not take away from the message. But in reality there are groups of law enforcement that do portray themselves as young girls and boys on the internet. But their sole purpose is to lure, locate and arrest child molestors. As far as I know, none have contacted any children in person. That type of education is done by special groups such as D.A.R.E

[LifeHiscost]

That this is not a "Real" senario does not take away from the message.

When just a young person myself (late 40's or early 50's) I can remember a single rape incident reached enough notoriety to find the Reader's Digest printing the story. Now the same set of circumstances would have to compete with a number large enough to fill a New York phone book before anyone would turn their heads to notice.

Judging from the way God deals with the crime when justice is served, our world is in a heap of trouble.

"If there is a girl who is a virgin engaged to a man, and another man finds her in the city and lies with her,

then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city and you shall stone them to death; the girl, because she did not cry out in the city, and the man, because he has violated his neighbor's wife. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you.

"But if in the field the man finds the girl who is engaged, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man who lies with her shall die." Deuteronomy 22:23-25 NASB

Regards!