This scary message about the dangers of Facebook has been widely circulated and is a powerful anecdote to remind parents of the potential dangers of social media.
“So, you just checked your Facebook and a random guy has sent you a friend request. you don’t know him but his profile picture is kind of cute so you accept him.
It’s your baby girls first day of school, you are overwhelmed with joy, and she looks so cute in her uniform that you have to take a picture of her and post it to Facebook to share with your ‘friends’ and family.
You’re so excited that you even ‘Check in’ to her school on Facebook saying:
‘I can’t believe how big she’s gotten. Time sure flies. One proud momma/daddy right here’.
Meanwhile that random ‘cute’ guy you accepted earlier in the week has already saved that picture and sent it to 60 other grown men across the world with the caption:
‘American Female. Age 5.
Blonde Hair. Green Eyes.
$5,000-‘.
Not only did you provide a picture of cute little girl to a child trafficker, you’ve handed him her name AND the exact location of her school.
So it’s 3:00pm and you’re really excited to go pick her up, but she’s nowhere to be found.
You have no idea, your precious baby girl was sold to a 43 year old pedophile before you even stepped off campus this morning, and now she’s on her way to Mexico with a bag on her head, confused, terrified, and crying because a man she’s never seen before picked her up from school. She has no idea where her parents are, where she’s going, or what’s going to happen to her.
You go to pick her up at 3:00 this afternoon, but she’s nowhere to be found.
STOP ADDING STRANGERS ON FACEBOOK
and STOP posting everything about your life on Facebook.”
This a scary reminder to protect your privacy and to educate your children about “stranger danger” online.
It should be noted that, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the majority of abducted children are taken by relatives, followed by non-family members (acquaintances), with the lowest number of abductions involving complete strangers. However, there are an increasing number of predators, targeting children, not parents online as children are less conscious of the personal information they share online and the “stranger danger” online “friends” can pose.
Share this message with your family and friends!
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