Elderly Amish Man Caught on Film With Prostitute, Blackmailed
When a 75-year-old Amish widower slept with a prostitute, he -- we feel certain -- felt pretty bad about it the next morning. As if that guilt weren't enough for the old man, the prostitute and her boyfriend demanded $67,000 from him, claiming that they had filmed the scene with wall-mounted cameras and would upload the recording to the Internet. The pair was later arrested and, we can only imagine, the Amish man abhorred technology more than ever.
Bank Robber Gets Away With the Help of Craiglist
In October, a bank robber -- wearing a safety vest, blue shirt, face mask and goggles -- eluded police with the help of Craiglist. Just outside the bank, while the robbery was in progress, stood a group of men who were responding to a Craiglist day labor opportunity. As the advertisement required, they were all wearing safety vests, blue shirts, face masks and goggles.
Nude New Zealander Arrested After Responding to Fake Sexy Text Message
Late in 2007, a Wellington, New Zealand man received a racy text message from two anonymous "ladies," giving him only an address and a request that he show up naked. Well, he indeed showed up naked... at the home of one appalled, unsuspecting New Zealander. Both the nude Romeo and the sadistic texter were arrested, though neither were prosecuted.
Fake Craiglist Ad Costs Man Most of What He Owns
Last Spring, a post appeared on an Oregon Craigslist board stating that the owner of a specific house was leaving all of his worldly possessions (still in said house) to whoever wanted them. When homeowner Robert Salisbury rushed home -- on a tip from a woman suspicious about the offer of a free horse -- he found his house being ransacked by 30 strangers. We suggest he take that horse and collect some vengeance Clint Eastwood-style.
17-Year-Old Jailed for Stealing Virtual 'Furniture'
When a 17-year-old Dutch boy hacked into several accounts on the Second Life-style site 'Habbo' in 2007, the the law got involved. The boy was discovered to have stolen $5,800 worth of virtual furniture and knick-knacks. Apparently, crime -- whether actual or virtual -- does not pay.
Phishers Going After Your Phones in New 'Vishing' Trend
Over the past year, sneaky spammers have begun to forsake the worn-out territory of e-mail in favor of cell phones' fertile frontier. The result? "Vishing." Get it? Voice mail phishing. It might be more ominous if it didn't sound like a James Bond villain saying, "Wishing."
Burglars Break Into Restaurant, Steal HDTV, Leave Money / Food Behind
Around Halloween of last year, a truckload of thieves drove into -- that's right, into -- a Pennsylvania Mexican restaurant, where they -- apparently uninterested in the cash register -- stole a mid-grade 47-inch HDTV and fled the scene. We've all heard about how this generation is lacking in ambition, but this generation's thieves, too?
On the same day MySpace and the attorneys general for 49 states announced an agreement that will allow parents to have their kids' email addresses blocked from the social networking site we get this tragic story out of Florida:
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
KenS said 9:47AM on 1-16-2008
I use PC Pandora to monitor my kids. I found it online. Records everything and has simple blocks and filters that are kind of like a back-up to my Norton antivirus stuff. I recommend them (Pc Pandora). They are pretty good - at least, no complaints yet... Cheap, easy to use, gives me everythig i need to see wha't going on when I'm not around... 'nuff said. Check them out.
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Greg said 8:35PM on 1-18-2008
What idiot would let their children play on the information superhighway? I guess they told them to go play in the highway. The WORLD uses the internet. SEND IN THE USA WORLD POLICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Jenn said 1:07PM on 1-19-2008
I have two younger sisters and a younger brother. I also have several younger cousins and close family friends. I do what I can to protect my younger relatives and friends. I've seen sketchy people on both of my sisters' MySpace accounts. What do I do? I talk to the parents. I don't care if my sisters find out that I "rat them out". I'm protecting them, and that comes first. I've seen one of my sisters post bulletins that are highly inappropriate. I've also seen both of my sisters and my cousin get hacked. I notify them when I think they've been hacked. That way, they can change their passwords and get rid of friends that aren't people they know or added. It's a scary world out there. I would MUCH rather my sisters and cousins be pissed off at me than lying helpless in a bed with a 54 year old man on them or going to meet someone they think is a friend and then being killed by some psycho maniac. It's been done people. This is NOT a safe world.
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Catherine Westrope said 5:24PM on 1-19-2008
There are many ways to protect ourselves and our children, but the facts are what they are;Greg says what idiot allows their child to play on the internet? Well many, myself included, with as many safeguards and restrictions as possible. They are given computer courses in school and even allowed school websites, though at school they know how to get outside the box, and at the library, or a friends we cannot monitor so easily. That being the case I would rather my child be versed in safety then assumed not to be at risk. I have removed my daughter's computer from internet access and now have safeguards in place on mine and no access when I am not present. I am happy to see myspace stepping up and starting to deal with this problem as that site will always be there, and so will the kids. Shame as it is, this is the world we live in.
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Cindy said 10:47AM on 1-25-2008
You ask what kind of idiot let's their kids play on the Internet? These people are not only on the Internet but are in our SCHOOLS, CHURCH'S, and may be in your FAMILY. So don't just blame it on the Internet. Start by educating your kids at home about these people/preditors and what ways they use to get to the kids.
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Michael Rodriguez said 7:07PM on 2-07-2008
You have these little kids on her that put on there my space page that they are 16 and older when in fact they are 12 and 13 yrs old. Who do i blame the parents .because my sister let her 2 sons 10 and 12 make a my space page the 10 yr old profile says he is 16 the 12 yr old says he is 20 . myspace should do like alot of places does require a credit card to sign up
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nichole said 1:21PM on 2-08-2008
Thank you, cindy. A breath of fresh air, for sure.
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Lisa said 1:14AM on 2-09-2008
When my daughter signed up for My Space it was and still is on PRIVATE. The only people that know that she is online in my space are her friends whom she gave her my space name to and theirs to her. I regularly check her my space page and ask who they are and where do you know them from. I think she only has maybe 5 or 6 friends on my space and most of them I already know them the other 1 or 2 are from school. I often ask her teachers when I see them who is she hanging around with basically to confirm her my space friends. I know that I don't have to worry about someone who she doesn't know trying to chat with her 'cause she'll just x it out. Example: I was in the computer room with her helping her look something up on the internet and well, she got an IM and she just x'ed it out and I asked her why did you do that her response was "I don't know who they are or where they got my I'm name from so I just closed the box. I'm not going to talk to some weirdo on the computer they creep me out. Mom you know I won't do that do you?" My response "honey' I'm so proud of you! You know what you're doing don't you? I know that you will always do that with names you don't know, oh and let me know if anyone else tries to chat to you too that you don’t know. ok?" "Ok mom I will, you know I always ask first right", (which she does even to look up any site too).I said honey, I know and just to let you know that person that you x'ed out was your aunt in Alabama your grandmothers sister". Here response," OH CRAP! I'm SOOOOOOO sorry mom I didn't know who they were." Moral of story "KEEP COMMUNICATION LINES OPEN. DISCUSS EVERTHING ESPAILLY THE INTERNET AND WEIRDOS. YOU TALK TO YOUR KIDS LIKE THEY'RE HUMANS WITH FEELINGS AND LET THEM KNOW THAT YOU LOVE THEM AND RESPECT THEM THEY WILL SHOW YOU THE SAME AND COME TO YOU FOR HELP AND GUIDENCE. She is 16 yrs old and I'm 35 yrs old and I LISTEN TO HER!!!!!! SO PARENTS WHY DON’T YOU GROW UP GET A HEAD ON YOU SHOLDERS AND TALK TO YOU KIDS IT WILL SURPRISE YOU IF YOU JUST TRY!!!
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Lisa said 1:15AM on 2-09-2008
Oh by the way I forgot to mention that I am VERY PROUD of my daughter she is very smart. And she is not afraid to talk to me about anything at all. I LOVE MY DAUGHTER VERY MUCH! And I know that I don't have to worry about her 'cause she gets her smarts from ME!
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Sid said 9:07AM on 2-10-2008
I don't see the purpose to this whole "myspace" crud. I DO NOT let my son in on this at all! That way I don't have to bother worrying whether he is being targeted or not.
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Matta329 said 7:34PM on 2-10-2008
I use K9 Web Protection by Blue Coat. Blue Coat is the company that my job uses and trust me, it is very good. They offer it for FREE to parents. You can find it at:
http://www1.k9webprotection.com/
Spread the word on this one!!!
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Sarah said 11:33PM on 2-10-2008
Kudos to Cindy, I couldn't have said it better.
Cindy says:
You ask what kind of idiot let's their kids play on the Internet? These people are not only on the Internet but are in our SCHOOLS, CHURCH'S, and may be in your FAMILY. So don't just blame it on the Internet. Start by educating your kids at home about these people/preditors and what ways they use to get to the kids.
01/25/08 10:47 AM
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wendi said 10:05AM on 2-11-2008
thank you matta329 for the link, even though my kids DO NOT have a my space account, they don't even go there to check it out.But having all the help we can with protection, is priceless. Amen Jenn for trying to protect your family! Please parents, don't let your kids have a my space accouint! they didn't need one before computers!
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Lauren said 10:36AM on 2-11-2008
You know, I am 21 years old. I have had a computer in the house w/ internet since I was 12. It is EXTREMELY hard for parents to keep 100% eye on their children, and I know this because I remember. Pretty much a link between you parents and your children. It's hard, because when you're a pre-teen or teenager, whatever your parents say you can't do is automatically something you HAVE to do. You make it your mission to defy them, because you feel at that age that you're invincible. I have had some pretty scary situations, and it was wayyy before Myspace ever existed! Once, my friend wanted me to accompany her to meet a guy at the mall. We were pretty young, around 13 I would say. The guy ended up being 18, and he had a vocal disorder and had extremely poor hygiene. He wasn't necessarily a threat, but at that moment we realized that it was reality and that we shouldn't have done this. I went into a store a found a teenage boy to come and tell him we felt weird around him because he was too old and the guy just left. I actually befriended that teenage boy for awhile until we lost contact with each other because it was so nice of him to take his time and help naive girls who didn't know any better. There was also another time that I had my best friend over, and we gave a guy our phone number and he called...and was obviously masturbating loudly into the phone. I hung up immediately and me and my friend were disgusted. We were around the same age as the first incident.
Around 12-13 my mother was perfectly fine with me having an internet friend who was my age. We spoke on the phone sometimes, and he used to webcam to me. He was from England I think. She thought it was so cute, and she approved. I can't remember what we talked about, but it was probably cartoons and how life is different in our respective countries.
Tips for you parents. Take the internet connection with you to work. Give your child chores to do to give her x amount of hours online so they aren't on long. Give your child examples of what happens when you give too much info on the internet. Let them know that they are able to make it so their profile is private and that people who want to friend your child will have to know his/her email or last name prior to requesting friendship. I have that now, because I don't want random people asking to be my friend. You can't freak out on your children and start yelling-because they're going to shut you off using their "selective hearing". My mother was just lucky that I was a very honest girl and I, for the most part, told her the truths about any trouble I got into. My little sister, on the other hand, is taking Myspace to an unsettling level. I do notify my mom of her profile, and my mother then takes her to the local library to change it since they don't have internet at home.
I hope this helped everyone. The internet is some scary shit, no doubt about that. It is one of the best and worst inventions, and as parents you need to get an upper hand in the relationship you have with your children because respect towards parents is something that more and more children lack everyday.
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Dan said 8:00AM on 2-12-2008
Lisa, Being #5 and having a child when you were 19 ? that is not good advice to any child in this time of worldly imorallity and perves out in this world tha twe so love tha twe fight and die for, So for her smarts, perhaps you should thank a teacher ?
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Dan said 8:02AM on 2-12-2008
soory about the above mistake # this was surposde to be a 3 as in your current age 35 which means you were only a9 when you had this *smart daughter ,
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Dan said 8:03AM on 2-12-2008
wow is this site mis-pelling word on me? i know what I am typing, lets see if this one gets corrected..lol
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TOV said 2:55PM on 2-12-2008
MySpace isn't able to do enough to help parents and kids. That is why Child Predator Busters exists. there is no other organization like it. It is respected and endorsed by law enforcement agencies worldwide because of their by-the-book approach to investigating assisting police with the aprehension of pedophiles. They also do training, teaching and seminars to help raise awareness.
They also closed several cases the day MySpace made its big announcement and not one of them made the news...even though all those cases involved MySpace.
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Tom said 6:34AM on 2-14-2008
Forget Myspace and Facebook, just rent a bill board and advertise your life history there. Who really needs that many people to know you? You'll never meet them so why advertise unless your life isn't really that important to you.
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Cara said 11:26AM on 2-14-2008
You know it is so easy to say ignorant things about something you know nothing about. If you are uneducated about the in's and out's of Myspace you really should not have any opinion. It's like complaining about the president even though you didn't vote.
I have 2 children (10 and 12), 2 brothers (35 and 40), a niece and nephew and we all have a Myspace. There are settings so that no one can even find you child even they wanted to. We keep in touch from across the country when we otherwise would hardly talk. I have my childrens passowrds and check them regularly. It is a way to express yourself and show just who you are. These people with the stalking problems I can pretty much guarantee that they not only don't talk to thier children the way they should, but allow them to have thier Myspace with no restrictions on it. Again, ignorance. Thay also are more than likely the kind of people that would blame other people or things for the things thier children do wrong. Oh, my child wouldn't do that!! It had to be so n so's fault! Myspace is far from the beginning of this problem. It's going on for a long time. Guns don't kill people... people do. Be responsible. Be educated. There are ways to protect your children from this issue. But try putting the blame where it belongs...!
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