Today, thanks to the World Wide Web, we face the most dangerous predator of them all, the Cyber Predator. The cyber predator can take on any identity they chose. They can be from anywhere in the world and can reach you with just a few keystrokes. They move quickly and with intent. Their goals are varied but the end result is always the same - someone will get hurt. Even if you take all precautions possible, there is someone who can break through your defenses, they just have to want to badly enough.
The intentions of the cyber predator are varied. Some do it just for the challenge, to see whom they can reel in with their promises. Some are looking for sexual favors and will say just about anything to get what they want. Others are looking for a way to immigrate to another country and figure marrying in is the best way. And some want to hurt you, badly, to take from you your self-respect, your monetary worth or even your life.
Almost daily you can turn on the TV and see on one talk show or news program after another the sad tales of those individuals who trusted the wrong person. There was a woman in Chicago a few years ago who had been chatting with a gentleman on the net for months. One day he showed up at her home for a visit. She let him in and they started a sexual relationship. He stayed for a week before she started having serious doubts and finally asked him to leave. He agreed without complaint. As she was helping him pack his bag to take him to the airport he attacked her with a hammer and beat her severely, stole her car and credit cards and left her for dead. If she hadn't lived he probably would have gotten away with his crime. No one in Chicago knew him; she had mentioned him to no one in particular. Luckily, she managed to pull through and he is now serving a life sentence.
Now again, I recognize the fact that thousands of people have met and married and been very happy together thanks to the internet. I am not advising against meeting people, rather, I am reminding people to be careful. Triple check and then check again. Don't be afraid to ask questions, and don't agree to meet someone alone, or invite them to your home. The world wide web provided the venue for terrorists to gain easy access to the many good people out there. Live by the motto "if it seems too good to be true, it probably is". It might just save your life. But this is just one person's opinion.
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