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 online. There she could talk
to strangers without being afraid. After all, no one 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 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 GoThere123: 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 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 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 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 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 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 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!" For some of you the above letter may have come as a shock. Let me
tell you first hand, what you just read is very easy to do. I have tracked down people in much the same way, and even sent
them a map showing where they live, address, and phone numbers, did all this and never left my office. I could have provided
much more information if needed. Something to think about. My reason for doing this type of thing has varied, sometimes to
warn children and teens how easy it could be done, other times it was to track down people who were causing problems. Please
be careful and pass this message along. Signed: An Angel to watch over the children of the world
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