One can never be too safe on the internet

[Guest Guest]

I think this has been posted here before but some things are worth repeating and this is one of them!

 

I have been stalked on the net, not to the degree of this posing but they got my phone number and personal information even when I had not given them any information about myself as was done in this that I am about to post.

 

This that I am posting is about a child, but the lesson also applies to us adults. We all must practice safety when using the Internet. Especially if we go into chat rooms.

 

The Internet is a wonderful tool of information and anything else we need. But used without caution, it can also become very dangerous.

 

I recently a hacker and had several conversations with him/her/it in an attempt to catch them. The hacker had hacked into a friend (ex. friend now) of mines computer. She visited chat rooms; she had a web camera and used it often. She used to beg me to get a web cam and to this day I am glad I got rid of the one I had a few years ago.

 

The hacker met her in a chat room and hacked her computer. It talked to me and a few others on her user lists in her MSN and Yahoo chat programs. It pretended to be her. Gave us a big story about her soon to be husband and how he was abusing her and more. We all were concerned because she was about to marry this man.

 

After 2 of these conversations, I was finally able to talk to the real person and not the hacker. We discovered that she had been hacked and was being stalked by the hacker. SHE WAS NOT CONCERNED! TOLD ME TO JUST NOT TALK TO THE HACKER ANYMORE!

 

Soon the hacker came on and wanted to talk to me again. I played along trying to gather information on the person so I could turn them in before my friend or anyone else got hurt. Well the hacker knew I knew about him/her/it from reading the conversation my friend and I had that was stored on my friend’s computer.

 

So the hacker proceeded to show me just how much he/she/it knew about my friend. The hacker gave me more information about her than I had ever received in the past 3 years that I had known her. I was given her name, telephone number, address, and instructions to her home. Who her family members were and how to find them by phone and addresses. Also some of her friends too. The hacker also told me what she had done that day, when she took her lunch break, where she went, who she talked to, what she was wearing that day and what she looked like. PLUS, I was given her place of employment, the bosses name, his address, his telephone number, and directions to his house. Places he (her boss) visited while on the net. Many of them porn sites with children. The hacker asked me to go to the police and turn this guy in.

 

The hacker had also hacked into my computer and read all about me. They learned I was a pastor and I did not do any of the stuff my friend and her boss did according to the hacker.

 

I gathered enough evidence on the hacker and even volunteered my computer to be monitored by the police to catch the person. My friend (the one where all this started) begged me not to do it. She said she wanted to handle this on her own. Even after I showed her all the information the hacker had on her.

 

Well after learning all about me the hacker told me they were sorry, that I was a good person and that they did not want to harm me. They told me they were going away after this last conversation because they knew I was working with the police to try and catch them and they could not allow that because people like my friend needed to be exposed for what and who they really are. The hacker told me that after meeting me they were sorry for what they did to my friend and me. But they would do it again on their personal crusade to expose those involved in porn. He also told me I needed to put a firewall on my computer to protect myself from being hacked again and told me where to go get a free one that works very good.

 

Unfortunately as far as I know the hacker has never been caught, they disappeared like a chameleon to take on another identity and destroy some one else's life.

 

I dropped the friendship with my friend because although she was a nice caring person, I had put my life and my families life on the line to try and catch the hacker that had done this to her and she kept begging me to not go to the police and let her handle it herself. That sent lots of red flags up and told me she was hiding something she did not want exposed. I don't want or need a friend like that so I cut off all contact with her and anyone associated with her.

 

Now here is the story I was just sent and feel it is needed to be passed on for all to read and learn that you can never be too safe on the Internet......

 

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 ByAngel213. 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 she lives in: North Carolina

Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall.

 

Aside from that information, he knew she lived in Canton because she had just told him.

 

He knew she was by herself until 6:30 p.m., which was when 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 Canton Junior High School.

 

She had told him all of 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 THAT DO HAVE

CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN.....

 

 

Take care and practice safe surfing.

 

Hill

[Homesteader]

I can't believe how many people give their children free rein with the computer and television. Both should be used in a location where the parent can frequently "peek in" and monitor. I had a girlfriend who let her 12 year old use the puter in her bedroom. She had no idea what her daughter was doing online. One day she came home early and an online "friend" of her daughters was in their apartment. Her daughter was getting ready to go out with her computer friend. The "friend" was about 40 years old. We can't ever know what his motives were but I suspect that a man of that age who didn't immediately leave when he saw how young this girl was has some serious problems. Who knows if Mom coming home early stopped something terrible from happening?

[Guest Guest]

Hill, thank you for posting this. It should be posted everywhere!