Internet Privacy Safety
"Online stalking and harassment is becoming more prevalent in the UK. Stalkers can be very dangerous and it is important to learn and understand the safety rules and to protect yourself from abuse, harassment and stalking. Stalkers and harassers are often people who do not have the courage to do this real life, they gain their courage by the fact that they can use the anonymity of the web.
The priority is to think safety - to use the Internet (especially the chat rooms, newsgroups, message boards etc. you will need a screen name). It is best NOT to use your main e-mail address name if you use these forums as your mail box will become full of spam in time. Try to chose a nickname that is genderless,. Log on as SexySal40, and you will soon wish you had not!
Most Internet Providers have a "profile" provision, somewhere for you to put information about yourself so other people with similar hobbies, interests etc. can find you. You must also remember that Cyberstalkers and "players" (more about them later) use these profiles to target their victims. By all means have a profile but keep it brief, never give your real name, address or phone number. You don't have to fill in all the headers so you leave your marital status, age etc. blank.
This is a nickname and profile which I have seen online "lonelyladyann with a profile saying Ann Vi…… (real surname), living in Cambridge, age 52, recently widowed and looking to meet new friends". So anyone could look her up in the phone book, or the electoral roll to get her full address.
What is a Player ? - A person who, from day one, sets out to deliberately deceive someone. There are different groups of women who can be very vulnerable to these Players (Wolves). Single mums, divorcees, retired ladies and widows. Of these groups probably the most vulnerable will be those women in the 50+ age group who are possible retired or widowed, mainly because their age group do not usually have the computer or Internet skills of younger women. Also they mainly grew up in an age where people were more trusting of each other.
Loneliness plays a huge part in getting hurt by a player online. The are so many places like ICQ, mIRC channels, AOL chat rooms, Yahoo! and MSN chat rooms, etc. where you can enjoy chatting to people from all over the world; great places to pass the time and meet and make new friends most of whom are all genuinely nice people. BUT you need to remember there are Players (wolves) out there too who prey on the lonely vulnerable women (sheep, as they call them). The wolves lurk in the chat rooms, listen to what you are saying, they check out your profile - and then they POUNCE.
They rely on the fact that YOU feel safe, sitting in your own home, chatting and making new friends totally oblivious to the lurking wolf. This poem, by an unknown author, is a good reminder of what can happen."
www.wiredsafety.org