Internet Family Fun
Internet Safety - Internet Family Fun
Moms, Dads, and The Kids, Having Fun, While Surfing The Net Together
Internet Family Fun
Internet Family Fun
IFF Home

Holidays
 Birthdays
 Columbus Day
 Boss Day
 United Nations Day
 Halloween
 Daylight Saving Time
 Election Day (US)
 Veterans Day
 Thanksgiving
 Christmas
 Dates of Holidays
 More Holidays

Printables
 Get Organized
  Vacation Checklist
  Emergency Info
  Printable Gift Bags
  Printable Calendars
  Printable Agendas
  More Get Organized
 Party Invitations
  Birthday Invitations
  More Invitations
 Greeting Cards
  Graduation
  Money Cards
  Congratulations
  Birthday Cards
  Thank You Card
  Free eCards
  More Greeting Cards

Wallpaper
 Holiday Wallpaper
  American Flag
  All Holiday Wallpaper
 Anyday Wallpaper
  Animal Wallpaper
  Funny Geek Wallpaper
  Ocean Wallpaper
  More Wallpaper

Sites for Kids
 Homework Help
 Harry Potter
 Science
 More Sites for Kids

Internet Help
 Print Part of a Page
 Keyboard Shortcuts
 Speed Up a Computer
 More Internet Help

Internet Safety
 Cyberbullying
 MySpace
 Parental Responsibility
 More Internet Safety

Know About...
 World of Warcraft
 Runescape
 Online Shopping Safety
 More to Know About

Games
 Crossword Puzzles
 Jigsaw Puzzles
 Word Search
 More Games

Clip Art
 Christmas Clipart

Save Money
 Coupons
 Unclaimed Property
 Trade/Swap/Recycle
 More Save Money

Free Calculators
 Loan Calculator
 Factors Calculator
 Fraction Calculator
 More Calculators

Recipes
 Face Paint
 Giant Bubbles
 Turkey Cooking Times
 More Recipes

Your Privacy
 Are You Listed?
 Identity Theft
 More About Privacy













Sitemap

Internet Family Fun

An Internet Fable

You are here:
Internet Family Fun Home > Internet Safety > Internet Fable

How Easily Anyone Could Be Stalked By Telling Too Much Information Online

This story has circulated by email for many years. It demonstrates how easily someone could be stalked by giving away a little information at a time. It is unknown if it is actually true but it is an eye-opener.

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 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 on line. There she could talk to strangers without being afraid. After all, none knew who she really was and couldn't hurt her. She logged on under her screen name ByAngel213. Checking her Buddy List she 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 cause 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 be 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 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 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 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 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 on line 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 give out too much information 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 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!"

That night Shannon and her dad and Mom all thanked God for protecting Shannon from what could have been a tragic situation.

More Internet Safety

Internet Safety Overview Family Webpage Safety Reminders Blogging Dangers Kids and Blogs
Kids Alone Online Monitoring Software Webcams and Kids Cyberbullying
About MySpace Find Registered Sex Offenders Living Near You Filtering Software Setting Limits for Your Child Online
Internet Cookies Checking History of Websites Visited Parents are Responsible for Their Child's Actions Online Secure Your Wireless Access Point
Home Computer Security Are Your Kids Spending Too Much Time Online? Selecting the Right Filtering Solution for Your Family ISP Based Filtering
Simple Steps to Stay Safe Online Safe Searching Report Child Pornography Agree to Family Safety Rules
Common Mistakes Families Make Online Talking With Kids About Uncomfortable Issues Statistics About Internet Dangers Kids and Chat
An Internet Fable
Internet Family Fun

This site recommends Amazon.com for online shopping:


Internet Family Fun
Internet Family Fun Home   Reprint Request   User Agreement   Privacy Policy   Contact Us   About Us
Graphics and Content © Marcy Zitz 1999-2009