BEWARE, THE INTERNET IS NOT SAFE ! (WEB)

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Creator LOGICA2ME	Created 13 Jan 2003	Posts 10	Last Post 10 years ago

I am reluctantly going to tell you about a recent experience in the hope that nobody else goes through what I have been through............

I entered a chatroom administered by a well known internet service provider and immediately struck up a good relationship with a 45 year old gent called Malcolm. We became friends, we'd chat most nights, though he would always log off at 8pm making excuses. Over a period of 6 months we became friends, we built up a good rapport and eventually arranged to meet.

It was 2pm and I'd arranged to meet Malcolm in a public house in the town centre where I live. I looked at my watch, it was 2-30, then 3pm....... I started to get the feeling I had been let down, until I looked out of the window......

There he was, a child of no more than 8 years old, circling the entrance to the pub on his Raleigh Chopper - making eye contact with me each time he stared into the window. It then dawned on me, I had been conned - Malcolm wasn't 45, he wasn't even into double figures yet - Malcolm was only 8 1/2...................

I confronted him, angry and feeling like I'd been living a lie for the last 6 months. There I was, looking forward to a few pints and maybe a bag of dry roasted - all he wanted was a bag of pear drops and a game of hopscotch.

Looking back,the signs were there - I should have realised - he always logged off at 8pm to go to bed, he was never online in the daytime (no doubt at school)......... I feel so stupid, how could I let this happen to me? How could I be such a fool............

There's a lesson for you all in there - the internet is nothing but a web of deceit where people are never what they seem. I know one thing - I won't be making the same mistake again, that's for sure.