Don’t Feed The Creeps

Posted on by under Expat, Life15

I often get asked to share pictures of us, especially of the kids on Facebook. Not only is it a common thing today to share everything but living abroad with friends and family overseas makes it even more tempting to do. I kind of understand that my friends that are close but not close enough to get a regular Skype call would love to see some pictures. Especially as everyone seems to share everything online nowadays. But I don’t. I don’t put pictures on Facebook. As much as I love to see pictures of my friends children growing up online, I will not do it. Why? Because there are too many creeps out there. People who wait for the right moment, the right person. So when I read this on Facebook today (by the way, did you know that you can find A Momma’s View on Facebook too?), I felt the urge to share it with you.

Think before you share! Think before you add random people! After all you wouldn’t invite a total stranger to your house, give a stranger the keys to your house or leave your kids with him.

I copied this out of the post which is going around on Facebook for a while. It’s originated on Keiko Shin Karate’s Facebook page:

trafficing
“A guy sends you a friend request. You don’t know him, but he’s got a cute profile picture, so you accept his friend request. It’s your baby girl’s first day of school. She looks SO cute in her new outfit you just have to take a picture and put it on Facebook so all your friends and family can see. You’re so excited dropping her off that you ‘Check in’ to her school on FB saying ‘I can’t believe how big she’s gotten. Time sure flies. One proud momma/daddy right here’.

Meanwhile, the mystery guy whose friend request you hurriedly accepted earlier this morning is saving that picture you posted of your daughter in her cute new outfit to his phone and texting it to 60 other grown men across the world with the caption –

‘American Female. Age 5.
Brown Hair. Black Eyes.
$5,000-‘.
Not only did you provide a picture of your little girl to a child trafficker, you’ve handed him the name and exact location of her school on a silver cyber platter.

You go to pick her up at 3:00 this afternoon, but she’s nowhere to be found. Little do you know, your precious baby girl was sold to a 43 years old pedophile before you even stepped foot off campus this morning, and now she’s on her way to South Africa with a bag over her head, confused, terrified and crying because a man she’s never seen before picked her up from school, and now she doesn’t know where her parents are, where she’s going, or what’s gonna happen to her.

Think before you share…

74 thoughts on “Don’t Feed The Creeps”

  1. Thank you very much for sharing this . this is very essential information to all the people on social media network like facebook ,twitter etc.
    its important to be cautious on things to shared . one simple urge to share can lead to so much trouble later .

    Liked by 1 person

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  2. I feel sick. I don’t post photographs of my family either for this reason. I believe convicted pædophiles should be imprisoned for life in general circulation in a maximum security jail for violent offenders.

    Liked by 2 people

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  7. That is terrifying. I don’t have facebook, but I hear stories of how people post that they’re going on vacation – in essence letting everyone know that their home is unattended.

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  8. Geez. There’s a sobering moment. Thanks for sharing. I share pictures simply for the fact that I have family all over the world and it’s the easiest way to keep them up to date. However, I only accept family and friends and if I have any question on who someone is I don’t add them. Also, I have my FB restrictions set to as tight as I can get them so only select people can see it. I know it’s not fool proof, but hopefully enough to deter any creepers. I’m also careful not to post where Crash is at any given time he’s not with us. Thanks for sharing, it’s definitely something worth thinking about!

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    • Just keep an eye on the settings as FB has a tendency to loosen them when they update… Happened to me on multiple cases. Now I check on a regular base. I guess it’s the sharing of all information like when you are out of the house and wife and kids are on their own, when all of you are gone and your home’s empty and where you go close by or your address. It all add’s up.

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  10. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one! I’ve never used FB or any other ‘sns’ expect for WordPress, and my little blog is only to show my photography (animals & nature). The photos of people are only used with permission. I refuse to put anything personal on-line. It seems so many people are clamouring for the right to transparency. What about the right to privacy?

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    • I think you suddenly feel pressured to share everything as well, as everyone seems to do. You want to show them too how awesome your children are or where you go on holiday, which restaurant you visited and so on. Forgetting that you leave a little “paper trail” for the ones that don’t mean well…

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  15. Reblogged this on Jdawgswords and commented:
    it’s so very important to read this…kids disappear all the time…develop a “secret code and meeting point” system…so if your child is approached by a stranger with the line, “i am supposed to take you home to momma”…she/he don’t hear the code they immediately say NO!!! and head for the meeting place, the front office, security office, nurse’s station…and explain what’s they have been taught and what just happened…IF that person just forgot the word then their story should be confirmable right?…a million ways to die and only one way to live

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  17. I refuse to have a Facebook account and I shut off all GPS tracking on my electronic devices. I’m a visual guy and I tend to associate a face with a person but there’s scary people out there in this world.

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    • Yes there are too many creeps out there… And we make it so easy for them because we tend to share everything. Imagine in the days before social networks: Would you have printed out flyers telling people where you go for dinner and with whom and what your kids are wearing and what they are doing? No! Nobody would have done it. Yet nowadays that’s basically what people do…

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  19. WHAAAT? Seriously? I am shocked!
    I had no idea!
    I don’t do facebook, chatroom, twitter, instagram and whatever’s more out there.
    So I don’t know much about what’s going on.
    Does this happen often? I am so dismayed! Geez!

    Liked by 1 person

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  27. Yep, people now a days share everything and anything on FB and the funny thing is, that some of my friends share their current location. Ex: “here at TGIF Friday’s” and then after 5 hours “here at Starbucks” Thanks for sharing this relevant info!

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  28. I read this post on facebook and because of it, I actually deleted “friends” I didn’t personally know. I reduced my personal information and even deleted a few pictures. I never “check in” anywhere so that gave me a relief. However, this is a very eye opening piece and what we unconsciously post, can often times turn out very crucial. Privacy and safety go hand in hand, they are very important! Thank you for the reminder!

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  31. Wow. I don’t know how I missed this one. I remember reading another one you wrote on this subject about the day at the beach that convinced you finally that your husband wasn’t just being paranoid. But this one is also quite a knockout punch as far as educating in a very REAL way. Well done.

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