This Could Happen to You

by Helen Walden and Sharon Sipos

The story below is being passed around the internet, most of the time in a abreviated version. Few people seem to know who wrote it. It took me a number of hours to track down the names of the authors, but I finally found what I believed was the original story. The original is now offline. This is a copy of the full article, matching the original very closely. At the end of the story, the authors recommend that you and your children not give out your real name, your address or the city in which you live while on the internet. This is great advice. However, did you know you may be giving out information without knowing it? Do you know just how easy it is to find your address online? To help you answer these questions, I have an Internet Security section on my website. Be sure to check it out after reading this story!

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If you ever go online (this obviously applies to you), use e-mail or yak it up in chat rooms, you've got to read this!

Shannon could hear the footsteps behind her as she walked home. The thought of being followed made her heart beat faster. "You're being silly," she told herself. "No one's following you."

Just to be safe, she began to walk faster -- but the footsteps kept up with her pace. Shannon said a quick prayer, "God, please keep me 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, Shannon 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 GoTo123 was on. She sent him an instant message.

ByAngel213: Hi. I'm glad you're 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?

Shannon smiled at the computer code, LOL: laugh out loud.

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 online. . . . 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's your team called?

ByAngel213: We're 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've 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

Friend or Foe?
GoTo123 decided it was time to teach ByAngel213 a lesson -- one she'd 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 Angel213 so far.

Her name: Shannon
Birthday: Jan 3, 1985
Age: 14
State where she lived: North Carolina
Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall

Along with this information, he knew she lived in Canton. She'd just told him that. He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30 every evening until her parents came home from work. He knew that she played softball on Thursday afternoons on the school team, the Canton Cats. Her favorite number, seven, was printed on her jersey. He knew she was in the 8th grade at Canton Junior High School.

Shannon gave all of this information to GoTo123 in the conversations they'd had online. He had enough information to find her now. She'll be so surprised, he thought. She doesn't even know what she's done.

The Search Is On
Shannon didn't tell her parents about the incident on the way home from the ballpark that day. She didn't want them to get hysterical 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'd 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, so she quickly dismissed the fear she'd felt.

After the game, he sat on the bleachers while she talked to her coach. She noticed his smile once again as she walked past him. He nodded and she smiled back. He noticed her number on the back of the shirt. He knew he'd found her. Quietly, he walked a safe distance behind her. He didn't want to frighten her or have to explain to anyone what he was doing.

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 it was time to make his move.

A Life-Saving Lesson
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 retired policeman and he's 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 thought. I've never seen him before today!

"Do you know who I am, Shannon?" the man asked.

"No." she answered.

"I'm your online friend, GoTo123."

Shannon was stunned. "That's impossible! GoTo is a kid about my age! He's 15 and lives in Michigan!"

The man smiled. "I know I told you 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 tonight to let you know 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 go to, the name of your ball team and the position you play. The number 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 online.

"The wrong people trick you into giving out information online -- a little here and a little there. Before you know it, you've told them enough for them to find you without even realizing you've done it. I hope you've learned a lesson from this and won't do it again."

"I won't," Shannon promised.

"And will you tell others about this so they'll be safe, too?"

"It's a promise!"

That night Shannon told her parents about thinking someone had followed her home the week before. They listened as she assured them it had been her imagination, and she promised to tell them if anything like that happened again. Tears formed in her eyes as she recalled the prayer she'd prayed.

"You know," she said solemnly, "I asked God to keep me safe and He really has, hasn't He?"



How to Avoid Having This Happen to You
So, how much are you telling your online friends? Could someone find you if he or she wanted to? How much do you really know about the people you're talking with?

The story you just read isn't true. Yet it could have happened; it was based on true information given out to us by people online. It could easily happen to anyone who chats freely with strangers.

While it's not meant to frighten you, it is a lesson on how to be safe when you're online. This message is for guys as well as girls. Guys have been victims of online predators, too. So grab all your friends -- guys and girls -- and share the following ways to protect yourself.

1. If you ever get aggressive, angry or abusive messages, tell your parents at once and contact the Internet provider you use to seek assistance.

2. Some of you probably won't like this, but we strongly suggest that you avoid chat rooms altogether. Experts agree that chat rooms are by far the most dangerous Internet activity, for the reasons that were shown through our story.

3. Never tell anyone your full name, address, phone number, city or any other personal information about yourself or your family.

4. If you use America Online or CompuServe, watch what information you include on your profile. Don't put your date of birth, especially the year. If you use Netscape, Explorer or Mosaic to connect through a local service provider, don't enter your full name -- especially your last name -- when you configure the software for e-mail and newsgroups. This also applies if you use a separate program to get your e-mail. Many people know how to get your street address armed with nothing but your last name and the name of your service provider. Remember -- you don't have to give out any information you don't want to.

5. If you still choose to be in a chat room or are using e-mail and someone asks you personal questions, such as where you go to school, where you live or any other personal questions you don't feel comfortable answering, don't hesitate to write, "I'm sorry, I don't give out personal information" or "My parents have asked me not to tell that."

6. If someone sends you an e-mail form with personal information about himself or herself on it and suggests you fill one out just like it, be alerted and don't do it. You have no idea to whom or where it will be forwarded!

7. If, once again, you decide to be in a chat room and anyone pressures you to talk, won't leave you alone or asks for personal information, get offline immediately.

8. Don't respond to e-mail from people you don't know. If you believe you've received something strange, tell your parents.

9. Never agree to meet anyone whom you've met online face-to-face.

Most importantly: Has any of this already happened to you? If it has, this is a great time to tell your parents. You may also write us with any questions or suggestions at TeenFocus@aol.com or TeenFocus1@aol.com

Who Are We?
We are two mature, dedicated Christians who have a real concern for the safety of young people online. We've recently witnessed several instances where young people have given out or been asked to give out all kinds of personal information. The people asking for this information were strangers. Because of this, we've formed a group called Teen Focus. We hope to send out a newsletter on a regular basis with fun and safe things teens can participate in on the Web.

In the world of the Internet, people can say they are anyone they want and none of us have any way of knowing who they really are. We want to help you. Please show this article to your parents and pass it along to any friends you think may benefit from it. *

For more information on this subject, check out Focus on the Family's CitizenLink Internet resource page on the Web at http://www.family.org/cforum/hotissues/A0001919.html. [Unfortunately, the link no longer works.]

Some of the guidelines mentioned above are based on an article written by Steven Isaac, called "Safe Cruising on the Info Highway." This article appears in the February 1998 issue of Focus on the Family magazine.

This article appeared in Brio magazine. Copyright © 1998 Helen Walden and Sharon Sipos.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured.