This Could Happen To You 

 Author Unknown -                                                            

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:

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 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.
GoTo1 23:  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 where she lived: North Carolina
Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall. Besides this
information, he knew she lived in Canton 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 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 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.

Shannon didn't tell her parents about the incident on the way home from
the ballpark 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 sudden
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 it was 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 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 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?"
"It's a promise!"