Predators do troll message boards like this one
Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 3:46 pm
We do encourage networking, and this site is a great way to meet people with whom you can share your spiritual beliefs. There are a lot of great members here, and I myself have met people with whom I have established friendships. But common sense still has to be exercised here, as with anywhere else.
All the warnings you see in those public service announcements about predators lurking on message boards and chat rooms are TRUE. The reason why they're written is because bad things REALLY DO happen to unsuspecting, innocent people, especially teenagers. The victim's thinking is always "bad things like that only happen to others, never to me" or "this person is nice to me, so this must be safe," etc., and the criminal is banking on this kind of thinking.
Moderators cannot know 100% whether people on this message board are telling the truth about who they are, where they live, their age, etc. We just can't know. If we do find out they're misleading you, we will act accordingly, believe me, and do everything in our power to contribute to their arrest by the authorities .....that's IF we ever find out their true identity.
So just exercise caution about giving out personal information to people, responding to "contact me" requests you read on this message board, etc. Don't give out your home, work or school names and addresses, your social security number, bank account number, or any other sensitive information. Don't do any "favors" for anyone you don't know well. And absolutely DO NOT MEET ANYONE ALONE. Let people know where you're going, who you're meeting, and when to expect you home. That way if there's foul play, they'll know where to go looking for you.
Enjoy your time here, but be safe.
.
All the warnings you see in those public service announcements about predators lurking on message boards and chat rooms are TRUE. The reason why they're written is because bad things REALLY DO happen to unsuspecting, innocent people, especially teenagers. The victim's thinking is always "bad things like that only happen to others, never to me" or "this person is nice to me, so this must be safe," etc., and the criminal is banking on this kind of thinking.
Moderators cannot know 100% whether people on this message board are telling the truth about who they are, where they live, their age, etc. We just can't know. If we do find out they're misleading you, we will act accordingly, believe me, and do everything in our power to contribute to their arrest by the authorities .....that's IF we ever find out their true identity.
So just exercise caution about giving out personal information to people, responding to "contact me" requests you read on this message board, etc. Don't give out your home, work or school names and addresses, your social security number, bank account number, or any other sensitive information. Don't do any "favors" for anyone you don't know well. And absolutely DO NOT MEET ANYONE ALONE. Let people know where you're going, who you're meeting, and when to expect you home. That way if there's foul play, they'll know where to go looking for you.
Enjoy your time here, but be safe.
.