An Important Message from CJs Web World

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. Afraid to look back,
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 ran the rest of the way to her house. Once inside, 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 online. There she could
talk to strangers without being afraid. After all, no one knew who she really was and no one could
hurt her. She logged on under her screen name, ByAngel213. Checking her Buddy List, she saw
that 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 wierd!

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, cause 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 kewl.

GoTo123: Do you pitch or what?

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.

GoTo123 decided it was time to teach Angel a lesson, one she would never forget. He 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. She had just told him. He knew she stayed
by herself until 6:30 every afternoon, 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 seventh 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.

"She'll be so surprised," he thought, "she doesn't even know what she has done."

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 overacting 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 back of the
shirt. He knew he had found her. Quietly, he walked a safe distance behind her. He didn't want to
frighten her and have to explain what he was doing to anyone.

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 is
a policeman and he has just told us a most interesting story about you."

Shannon moved cautiously to a chair across from the man. 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 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 online 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 give out too much information
to people online. 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 play. The number and
name on your jersey 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 online.

"The wrong people trick you into giving out information a little here and there online. 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."

"I won't," Shannon promised solemnly.

"Will you tell others about this so they will be safe too?"

"It's a promise!"