Woman Reunites With Birth Family After Simple Google Search
Ebony Keck was given up for adoption when she was two-years-old, and has wondered about the family from which she was separated ever since. Almost 20 years later, the young Pennsylvania woman is set to reunite with her birth family, all because of a simple, instant Web search. Keck currently lives with a friend's grandmother, and one day, because she was "just bored," she decided to google herself.
Keck told CNN that after clicking on one of the first search results, a link to adoption.com, "My full name, my birth date, my mom's name, my birth certificate" all popped up. "I just screamed," she said. Keck's sister had been searching for her since 2006, but had experienced no luck until Ebony whimsically decided to search herself. Ebony called her previously unknown family members and learned that, even though her birth mother had recently passed away, she had the one sister, two older brothers, and a crew of nieces and nephews -- all of whom she plans to meet in person very soon.
In 2007, separate studies revealed that about half of all US citizens have at some point googled their own, or an acquaintance's, name, but that number has surely increased by now. If anyone remains who hasn't typed their own name into a search bar, Ms. Keck's heartwarming story should certainly provide adequate inspiration. [From: CNN]
In 2000, a photo of a giant cat named Snowball was forwarded around the Internet and posted on many Web sites. The accompanying story was that a man had an 87-pound cat that was born to a mother that lived near a nuclear lab. The story spread so far that it was discussed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Good Morning America. Unfortunately, it was just computer-manipulated image made by Cordell Hauglie, the man in the picture, yet people still haven't realized that you can't believe everything you see on the Web.
Top 8 Online Hoaxes
Everything Must Go
A farmer's house was cleaned out out after Craigslist ads said that all his possessions were being offered up for free. The man lost thousands of dollars worth of his stuff, and, unfortunately, this isn't the only incident of its kind. Last year, a woman's niece posted a similar ad, which led to people stripping everything from the aunt's empty apartment, including light fixtures. And recently, someone tried the same thing on a Massachusetts family, but they happened to be home when the gatherers arrived.
Photoshopping Dupes America
In 2000, a photo of a giant cat named Snowball was forwarded around the Internet and posted on many Web sites. The accompanying story was that a man had an 87-pound cat that was born to a mother that lived near a nuclear lab. The story spread so far that it was discussed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Good Morning America. Unfortunately, it was just computer-manipulated image made by Cordell Hauglie, the man in the picture, yet people still haven't realized that you can't believe everything you see on the Web.
Stick To Match.com, People!
Getting sexy messages from somebody you don't know should set off some warning bells, but apparently there will always be people, mostly men, who believe they're about to score big. There are loads of tales like this, including a man who showed up naked at a house in New Zealand after misleading text messages and a Saudi Arabian who was robbed by teenagers when he showed up for a good time. Seriously, if it's too good to be true, it probably is.
Still Too Good to Be True
What's better than meeting someone online for love? Getting paid to do it, which is how an Australian farmer found himself kidnapped in . Several men pretended to be a woman, enticing Des Gregor, 53, to come to to get married and receive $85,000 in gold as dowry. When he got there, he was taken hostage and threatened with having his limbs hacked off unless he paid them the same amount. Fortunately, police duped the kidnappers and Gregor was safe. Gregor learned his lesson, apparently – "Just be careful - make sure you check everything out 100 per cent," he said.
Watch Out For Those Cameras
With the amount of people embarrassed or worse by leaked photos and videos of bad behavior online, it's no wonder that they'd be used for blackmail. This is exactly what happened to a 75-year-old Amish widower after he slept with a prostitute. The woman and her boyfriend extorted $67,000 from the man, saying there was a camera installed in his bedroom and that photos of the trysts would go online. Fortunately, the pair and two accomplices were arrested. So much for the Amish being behind in technology.
High Salary, Low Discretion
Seeing a job posting that promises thousands of dollars for at-home work will most likely get a lot of applicants and a lot of non-believers. Still, almost 80 people, including lawyers, were allegedly hired to work for a financial company doing research and all sorts of projects for $14,000 a month. They had conference calls, corporate e-mail addresses, contracts, and direct deposit forms, but after they didn't get paid for a few weeks, they realized it was all fake. There was no such company, the owner disappeared, and nobody knows what happened. So beware – if that job listing sounds amazing, do your research before you end up duped.
Scamming the Scammers
You've probably heard about or even received an e-mail about getting funds from or another African country if you send them a small sum. This is called 419 fraud, and rather than sit idly by, Michael Berry founded 419eater.com as a way to get revenge. The site encouraged people to bait the scammers, often to get the Nigerians to take pictures holding up offensive signs in English. Some users were successful in getting cash sent to them, although this was discouraged. Either way, it's good to know that anyone can be had, even the perpetrators.
Times Gets Owned in Joke Article
The phenomenon of Rickrolling has become so popular that even the New York Times covered it. Unfortunately for that respected paper, the coverage of the story found it getting getting duped by a Youtube video made by a student at Eastern Washington University . The article talked about a video that showed the student interrupting a timeout at a women's basketball game and somehow playing the song over the PA system. Unfortunately, this never happened and the video was a fake. So, an article on a prank ends up getting pranked too. Is there no end to this madness?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
pushka said 1:38PM on 9-05-2009
I can't believe there aren't more stories like this. Thanks to the internet that's how I found my birth mother after 30 years.
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seun93bme said 6:36PM on 9-06-2009
4 real!?
Wes said 1:45PM on 9-05-2009
Last time I tried to contact a long lost relative I had not spoke with 26 years since I was a teen, I got a call from her attourny, telling me she has nothing to say to me. So much for what she learned being a Catholic nun.
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mbifalco said 2:17PM on 9-05-2009
I guess it happens more than we know. I googled my adopted name in June, and found three sisters looking for me, one older and two younger. We have been separated for 45 years...... i never knew they existed, they had seen some papers of my moms and decided to try and contact me four days before she passed away. (However, I didn't get the contact until 6 months later.)
My older sister is looking to pitch the story to some cable networks... I met them on the 4th of July, 5 days after we made contact for a tribute to the life of my mom that was already planned, her ashes were put in fireworks and the Grucci's of Long Island did the show...The timing was God sent.
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inspiringangela said 4:53PM on 9-05-2009
I don't believe in fairy tales, but I'm glad things worked out well for this family.
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zoetic2 said 9:22AM on 9-06-2009
She wasn't "given up for adoption"........her mother MADE an adoption plan.
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neiltift said 8:05PM on 9-07-2009
Why didn't the article mention her father? It takes two to create a baby?
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audreyrose11 said 8:32PM on 9-07-2009
The same thing happend to me. I was given up for adoption (well left at the babysiters house) but knew i had a sister a few years younger than me and a father who i was told left when i was little (not true). My sister found my name through a google search while searching for our biological mother and then acutally found me on myspace. A few weeks or so later we found our biological mother. She then told me and her our biological fathers name(different fathers). My little sister and I met up and we could not get over how much we looked alike and how alike we were. After 26 years i was finally reuinted with my biological father. I flew to L.A. to visit him and my two sisters and two brothers by him. My uncle and cousin came from Hawaii to visit and my grandparents and aunt and cousins came from San Diego. It was an amazing experience that i am so thankful to have. I go out to Cali. every six months or so to visit.
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ladykodaikbear33 said 9:07PM on 9-07-2009
I think it is great that finding family has come so far now you can Google yourself that is so cool. I have 6 children 4 of which I was not able to care of thanks to people calling cps and making up lies. I know how my children are. I am not allowed updated pictures. I have not seen my youngest of the adopted out since she was 4 months old. I can only imagine she looks like her siblings. I hope that my children find me once they are old enough to. My oldest will be 15 next month. I think about them all the time celebrate their birthdays and wonder how different it would have been if we had been able to live together without anyone interfering like they did I am lucky I am raising my youngest daughter. I have been threw hell and back. I do miss my other kids and hope to get to see them one day.
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Toria said 6:00AM on 9-08-2009
Sorry, but I and many others find it hard to believe you lost custody of 4 of your children because other people told lies on you. Sounds like total BS to me. And where exactly are your baby daddy's? Let me guess there are 6 of them and they're either in prison, strung out or dead, right? You'd be amazed how many perverts and child abusers blame the system or nosy friends/family/neighbors for the losing custody of their children rather than themselves. If you've been falsely accused, then get a good lawyer. If not, then your children are better off without you.
k_t_layton said 9:06PM on 9-07-2009
I have absolutely no problem with people trying to find their birth parents or siblings. In fact, I think it is wonderful if that is what people choose to do. I have worked with adoption and unplanned pregnancies for the past ten years. I know it may be shocking to the rest of the world out there, but the reason why people don't hear more of these stories is because most children who were adopted do not desire to meet their birthparents. Their parents are the people that adopted them and loved them from the time they were little. They feel complete and happy in their lives. The reason we hear stories like the one above is because it is the rare situation. It is not that hard to find birthparents/ siblings as much as it use to be. We have adopted our daughter and we will encourage her, if she chooses, to meet with her birthmother. The only thing is, that we are her real parents. We have children we have given birth to and we feel no difference between the children that are adopted and the ones we have given birth to. I think sometimes it is hard for others who have not been through it themselves to understand. But trust the parents that have adopted and know there is absolutely no difference. Also, when people say, "They were GIVEN UP for adoption" - I can't stand that phrase. A child is not "given up," they are PLACED into a family. They are also not "given up," they are "given more!" If our daugher had stayed with her birthmother she would be in an awful situation right now instead of in a stable, loving invironment. Here are a few statistics: Children placed in adoptive homes have better scores in school and engage in less delinquent behavior than children raised by a single parent. Children in adoptive families have better health status and higher quality home environment than ALL other children. Mothers who place their child for adoption are more likely to finish school and less likely to live in poverty. Mothers who choose adoption are more likely to marry than those who parent their baby.
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joe said 8:24PM on 9-16-2009
She sure has a lot of teeth!
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cmclaura said 10:14PM on 9-07-2009
I, too, found my birthfamily via the Internet. Not by Googling, which wasn't around when I found, but a three month online search did what 19 years of searching manually couldn't.
It's really about time all these states with sealed adoption records realized that it's an archaic practice. Hear that?!
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alice said 10:28PM on 9-07-2009
I have been looking for a younger sister that was born in Phonenix,AZ. possiable in Jan.of 61or 62,mom dosen't remember signing any adoption papers. My aunt thought a nurse mighg of taken her home. Her name was Lori at the time(the baby).Mother Nadine(Tina) G.Reese or Anderson(maiden).Father should be a Tom Radick of Yankton,SD.
WOULD like to fine her and let her know she has 2 older sisters and a little brother that live here in NE.
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Cole said 10:46PM on 9-07-2009
Can AOL do something about the spammers? Anyway, on to the point. When I was 15, almost 16, my older brother, who I had known about since the age of 6, (although I didn't know his name) found our family, only 20-30 minutes away from his house. To make things even wilder, just two years before finding the family, he played football against the high school my sister and I went to, a game we attended.
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mddunnington said 11:36PM on 9-07-2009
You see Ebony we all have a family and you was never alone,,they was always thinking of you. But just remember that your Mother didn't give you up because she didn't want you..your Mother may have wanted you to have a better life than what she couldn't have given you. And I'm sure they day she died she wished you was there at her side. A Mother doesn't give up a child because they don't Love them, she gave you up because she did Love you..Parents always want there children to have a better life that what they had, and could not offer. Your Mother Loved you the day she gave you up for Adoption. And don't think that she didn't think of you for every minute and second in her life. She loved you so much she wanted you to have a better life. But now you found your Family and you have alot of catching up to do.
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escargojh said 11:58PM on 9-07-2009
I definately agree, that it's very true, that a mother does not give a child up to adoption or to a children's home, for no other reason than to hope that they'll have a better & much more of a secure family environment.
I know because i'm one of those mothers, i too have my now grown children in my thoughts nearly every minute of everyday.
I cry lots too, i always hope & wonder if i really did the right thing way back then in 1986, all i know is at that time, i really felt that i was doing the right thing for them, but of course it fully saddens me, that i have missed so many holidays with them, i have missed seeing them develop into teens & adults, i had them when they were toddlers, i tried very hard to keep them.
I was on welfare, i never could afford new toys of new clothes for them.
Infact when my son was still with me, he had been in at least 3 schools all of his first year in school, because we had to move a lot, i had made up my mind, that i had to do something for my kids, i just wanted them to live somewhere a lot more stable, but i miss them all of the time, i'm sad that i will probably never see them again, my son's name was Chris & my daughter was Lynette, i wonder ifi tried googling, would i be able to locate their where abouts, i will try, even though many other things i've tried never do work..
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glenn said 12:21AM on 9-08-2009
I would have to say that this is another A O H E L L ...BS story I tried to google every one of my relatives names and even my wife's name whom I have to tell you that her first name is the only one in excistence in this country. Meaning that her first name is the only one of its kind TODAY, google would do jumps to every other parts of the name and with any of maybe the closest of hits you would have to pay some site a lot of money to do any search .....So the story of this woman is pure CRAP ! Just as 90% of A O H E L L S stories are composed of or so far outdated that it is just pathetic to print, or so badly edited that is would not be worthy news for a middle school newspaper. This is why I stopped paying them any money for a subscription and only use the free part of it for emails....Besides of that who really cares about finding a rich husband or make money on the internet or any of those on some spam site that they allow to be published (ONLY COMMENTS RELAVANT TO THE STORY ARE TO BE SUBMITTED)...C'MON here already how many of you are sick of reporting these comments just to see them still there.....? PLEASE FIRE THE MONKEY EDITOR ALREADY AND HIRE SOMEONE THAT NEEDS A JOB........
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pushka said 1:00AM on 9-08-2009
Actually, while it is possible for this to be a BS story I really don't think it is. I was able to find my bmom with the help of a guardian angel and it was all through the internet. I didn't google like one previous poster pointed out google wasn't around when I had searched. My angel did a search and sent me two possible candidates, turns out sheer luck one was my birth mother. I actually had been posting on the adoption boards (I don't even know if they are still around with all of the changes AOL has gone through) on aol when this all happened and I thank that angel every time I get to visit with my birth mother. She's a terrific lady, married to a great guy and I even have a 1/2 brother out of the deal who is pretty neat!
mbengert65 said 12:46AM on 9-08-2009
That is great that you all are able to be together :)!! I also was united with a sister that I had never met although my oldest sibling had known her when she was just 3 years old. She googled my Dad's name and came across his obit in the paper.. Contacted us through that. We had searched for her lots of times while Dad was still living and regret that we couldn't locate her, although we are elated that we are able to get to know one another now. Cherish the times spent together now and don't live in the past.. Play catch up and make new memories.
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