Mod 3: Online Predators

Welcome to Washtenaw Area Council for Children's Cyber Safety Exploration Module. In this module you will act as an advisor to a high school junior, helping him make tough decisions with serious consequences. To learn how to play, click the 'instructions' link below! [[Instructions]] ######Copyright © 2017 Washtenaw Area Council for Children, All rights reserved. | Online Predators

In this story you get to take an adventure by choosing different paths. The blue links within the passages provide images and video artifacts that create context for what’s going on in the story. Links below passages are choices you can have the main character make. If you make a decision and want to change it, use the back arrow to the left of the text box. [[Let's get started!]]

This is [[Will->bio_will]]. Things haven't been great for Will lately - in fact, things have been pretty terrible. Since [[Leslie->bio_leslie]] broke up with him. He's been feeling a lot of really extreme emotions - he's been angry at her, angry at himself, depressed, but mostly he feels lonely and isolated. Sometimes it's hard for Will to speak openly about what he's feeling, but he thinks he should at least try. When he was with Leslie he would usually talk to her. She's a great listener and usually has some good advice - even though they're broken up maybe she'll still listen. He could also try talking to his best friend. When he was dating Leslie he definitely didn't hang out with him as much as he should have, but he's always been a good friend. Will also knows that he can go to his guidance counselor. Sometimes it's good to get an adult's opinion on things. What should Will do? [[Talk to his friend]] [[Try to talk to Leslie]] [[Go to a guidance counselor]]

Will is a junior at Allatoona High School. His girlfriend broke up with him last weekend and he's still heart broken. When he's happy he loves to write, play video games, and spend time with his friends, but lately he doesn't feel like doing anything.

Will was Leslie's boyfriend since their first year at Allatoona High. They used to be so close - like best friends, but over the past few weeks they've grown apart. It was really hard for Leslie to break up with Will, but she just wasn't happy with him anymore.

Will has been writing since he was a little kid. He wants to study journalism when he goes to college, but his true passion is creative writing. It doesn't matter if it's fan fiction, short stories, or poetry, Will loves it all. Something changes about him when he picks up a pen or gets behind his laptop. The words that normally get caught in his throat flow out of his hands so easily. When he gets home he goes to his room he starts typing the things he's been feeling - almost like a stream of consciousness. Things are going well at first, but within five minutes he's stuck. He doesn't know what else to write. To change things up he decides to check out some of the old stories he's posted on Wattpad. When he logs in he sees a [[comment->wattpad_message]] on one of his poems. That's pretty cool. How should he respond? [[Send a DM]] [[Check out their profile]]

Will feels like sitting down and playing Xbox for a few dozen hours. He plays a few rounds of Battlefield when he gets a [[message->xbox_message]]. Will's gotten a few messages like this before. He's also been trying to get this acheivement for about a month. Maybe if he helps xXLastSonXx get his acheivment he'll help Will. Also, Will just misses playing games with people. He used to play with Steve almost every night. He decides to join his party. The two working together are almost unstoppable. They get their acheivments no problem. Will looks up and it's past midnight - time has really flown by. He goes to bed and wakes up exhausted the next morning. The entire school day Will is just looking forward to going home and sleeping. When he gets home, though he's really tempted to play X Box. What should he do? [[Sleep]] [[play X Box]]

Will really only had a Facebook so that he could use messenger with Leslie. The only reason he's using it now is to check his feed to see if she's posted anything. He's not trying to be creepy or anything, he just wants to make sure she's alright. Will logs in and scrolls through his feed. It somehow feels less creepy if he just happens upon images of Leslie instead of going straight to her profile. As he's scrolling he does see an image of Leslie. He looks through her photos and [[sees one]] that ruins his day. Any illusions Will had about getting back together with Leslie are now broken. He feels terrible. He slumps into his bed and stews over the state of his current life. His phone vibrates and he notices he has a [[friend request]]. This couldn't have come at a better time. What should Will do? [[Accept the request]] [[Check out her profile]]

At the end of the day Will walks up to where [[Steve->bio_steve]] is sitting. Will tries to talk to him, but he can tell Steve is irritated. Will tries to push through and explain he needs help, but Steve snaps exclaiming that Will only comes to him when he has a problem - that outside of asking for help they never hang out anymore. Will is silent. He wasn't expecting that kind of reaction. He knew that he should be spending more time with Steve, but he never thought it bothered him that much. Steve shakes his head, stands up, and walks away. Well this day has pretty much been the worst day ever. When Will gets home he decides that he needs to do something to take his mind off of everything before he explodes. He hasn't written in a while, so he could edit and post some stories on Wattpad. He could also zone out and play some video games. Or he could scroll through Facebook. What should Will do?

[[

->Wattpad]][[

->Facebook]][[

->X Box]]

It's worth trying to talk to Leslie. He's not going to try and win her back or anything. He just needs someone to listen to how he's feeling and what he's thinking. Will runs up to Leslie - catching her before she gets on the bus. He tells her that he really wants to talk to her about some things - he asks if he can call her when she gets home. Leslie gives Will a pained look and tells him that she needs some space - that she can't talk to him. At least for a little while. She gets on the bus and leaves Will standing there. Well this day has pretty much been the worst day ever. When Will gets home he decides that he needs to do something to take his mind off of everything before he explodes. He hasn't written in a while, so he could edit and post some stories on Wattpad. He could also zone out and play some video games. Or he could scroll through Facebook.

[[

->Wattpad]][[

->Facebook]][[

->X Box]]

Will rushes to the office - hoping to catch [[Mrs. Daniels->bio_mrs_daniels]] before she leaves for the day. He gets there just as she's locking her office door. Will immediately jumps into telling her about his situation. She holds up a hand stopping him mid-sentence. She must have had a rough day because it seemed like she was about to scream. She told him she had to go - if Will wanted to talk to her he would have to schedule an appointment like everyone else. Well this day has pretty much been the worst day ever. When Will gets home he decides that he needs to do something to take his mind off of everything before he explodes. He hasn't written in a while, so he could edit and post some stories on Wattpad. He could also zone out and play some video games. Or he could scroll through Facebook. What should Will do?

[[

->Wattpad]][[

->Facebook]][[

->X Box]]

Steve met Will in middle school. They bonded over how much they loved playing video games. Steve is quiet and doesn't have too many friends. It takes him a while to open up to people, but Will knows his wild side well.

Mrs. Daniels is one of Allatoona High School's few guidance counselors. She serves about half of the school and is almost always busy. Lots of students love her because unlike a lot of the teachers, she actually treats them like adults.

Wow! Will has never gotten a comment like that before. It makes him feel like an awesome writer, but also kind of sad that someone else is feeling what he's feeling.

Will is sold - Sarina seems awesome. He sends her a [[direct message]] on Wattpad. When she doesn't respond after an hour he's a little bummed. He starts wondering if he came off as creepy. He tries to forget about it. What should Will do to take his mind off of it? [[Play X Box]] [[Go for a run]]

Will clicks on the username and starts going through the [[profile->wattpad_profile]]. It turns out the person is a girl named Sarina. She doesn't have many posts, but has an insane amount of followers. She must be pretty popular. Maybe it's because Will's been lonely for a while, but he feels connected to Sarina somehow - he really wants to talk to her. What should Will do now? [[Check out her Instagram]] [[Send her a message]]

Will looks at one of her posts - it's not terrible. Will wonders what Sarina means by roleplaying... maybe he should ask her.

Will decides to check out her Instagram - he really wants to learn more about her. Her [[Instagram profile]] is a lot like her Wattpad profile - there are hardly any posts. That just makes Will more curious. He decides that he has to talk to her. He sends her a [[direct message]] on Wattpad. When she doesn't respond after an hour he's a little bummed. He starts wondering if he came off as creepy. He tries to forget about it. What should Will do to take his mind off of it? [[Play X Box]] [[Go for a run]]

Her posts are pretty funny, but there's hardly any pictures of her. Will is definitely curious about her.

Will can't believe he's sending this message. He may have lied about who broke up with who, but no one needs to know that.

Will plays X Box for a couple hours, but it doesn't do much to take his mind off of the message he sent. He gets really down on himself - thinking that he sounded desperate. The next day at school is pretty terrible. Aside from Steve and Leslie, who are apparently no longer talking to him, he doesn't have classes with any friends. During English his phone vibrates - it's a Wattpad notification - Sarina [[responded to him]]. Will types back a response and over the next few days they start talking nonstop. She actually lives in the same town as Will - well technically it's one town over, but what are the odds? Will finds it so easy to talk to her. He's sharing things he never thought he would - he feels really open when he's talking to Sarina. She always listens and asks a lot of questions. She even sides with him and points out when his friends and parents are messing up. One afternoon he gets a [[text->sarina_text_1]]. This is kinda weird - Will definitely didn't give her his number. What should he do? [[Ask how she got his number]] [[Just go with it]]

Will runs around his neighborhood and through the park by his apartment, but it doesn't do much to take his mind off of the message he sent. He gets really down on himself - thinking that he sounded desperate. The next day at school is pretty terrible. Aside from Steve and Leslie, who are apparently no longer talking to him, he doesn't have classes with any friends. During English his phone vibrates - it's a Wattpad notification - Sarina [[responded to him]]. Will types back a response and over the next few days they start talking nonstop. Will is sharing things he never thought he would - he feels really open when he's talking to Sarina. One afternoon he gets a [[text->sarina_text_1]]. This is kinda weird - Will definitely didn't give her his number. What should he do? [[Ask how she got his number]] [[Just go with it]]

Will can't believe how excited he is that she responded. That's terrible that her boyfriend cheated on her. Will feels really bad for her.

< Back(734) 555-1234 contacts

Hey... this is Sarina... so I'm having a really hard time and I just needed someone to talk to. Sorry if this is like super stalkerish

Message

Send

Sounds like Sarina's in trouble. Will definitely didn't give out his number though. What's going on?

Will [[responds->sarina_text_2]], but he's definitely a little weirded out. Aparrently when Will made his Wattpad profile he included his phone number in his bio - that's how Sarina was able to text him. What was he thinking? Now anybody could have his number. Sarina doesn't seem nearly so creepy anymore, but Will still quickly edits his profile and removes his number. He responds to her to see what's been going on. Aparrently her life just as frustrating as his right now. The two have a crazy amount of things in common. Will feels like he can truly open up to Sarina. She's a great listener, always asking questions and taking Will's side on things. Will starts thinking about Sarina all the time. It's his coping mechanism for dealing with how annoying school can be. It helps, but there are still hard parts, like lunch, where he feels awkward. He doesn't want to be seen eating alone. What should he do? [[Eat in a classroom]] [[Try to sit with a classmate]]

It sounds like Sarina's in trouble - Will can sort out how she got his number later. He [[texts->sarina_text_3]] her back to see if there's anything he can do to help. After texting for a while Sarina shares about what's going on in her life. Apparently she and her friends got into a really big fight, her grades are slipping, and her dad is always yelling at her for really stupid stuff. Will can totally relate. Will feels like he can truly open up to Sarina. She's a great listener, always asking questions and taking Will's side on things. Will starts thinking about Sarina all the time. It's his coping mechanism for dealing with how annoying school can be. It helps, but there are still hard parts, like lunch, where he feels awkward. He doesn't want to be seen eating alone. What should he do? [[Eat in a classroom]] [[Try to sit with a classmate]]

< Back(734) 555-1234 contacts

Hey... this is Sarina... so I'm having a really hard time and I just needed someone to talk to. Sorry if this is like super stalkerish

Hey. No offense or anything, but how did you get my number?

Message

Send

Will doesn't want to be mean to Sarina, but he's definitely creeped out.

< Back(734) 555-1234 contacts

Hey... this is Sarina... so I'm having a really hard time and I just needed someone to talk to. Sorry if this is like super stalkerish

Hey! What's up? Is everything ok?

Oh geez... This embarrassing - I'm totally fine, I'm just having a really hard day. I just wanted to talk to somebody and you seemed like a cool guy.

Message

Send

Interesting - she thinks Will is cool. For some reason this makes Will way happier than he thinks it should. It's been nice having someone to talk to.

The next day when his class breaks for lunch he takes his food and knocks on [[Mr. Burnham]]'s door. He had Mr. Burnham for world history in 9th grade. Will was one of his favorite students, so hopefully this shouldn't be a problem. Will walks into Mr. Burnham's class and he can immediately tell that something's up. He looks like he's in a really bad mood. Will starts to say something, but Mr. Burnham puts up a finger to silence him and points to the door. Will tries to talk again and Mr. Burnham practically shouts at him to get out. How rude can you be? Will just wanted to ask a simple question. What's wrong with him. He doesn't know what else to do so he [[texts->sarina_text_4]] about it. Maybe because Will was so frustrated and wasn't thinking clearly, but her suggestion seems pretty great. What should Will do? [[Go to the mall]] [[Go to Taco Bell]]

Will walks up to where his classmate [[Adam]] is sitting. Sitting with pretty much anyone is better than being seen sitting alone. He asks Adam if it's cool if he sits with him. Adam doesn't respond, so Will repeats himself a little louder. Adam looks up annoyed, saying that Will can sit next to him, but that he doesn't want to talk to Will. Seriously? It takes a lot of self control for Will not to knock Adam's lunch onto the ground. Instead Will walks off and [[texts->sarina_text_5]] Sarina. Maybe because Will was so frustrated and wasn't thinking clearly, but her suggestion seems pretty great. What should Will do? [[Go to the mall]] [[Go to Taco Bell]]

Mr. Burnham is awesome. He treated every class like a stand up routine. Will didn't learn much in his class, but he had a lot of fun.

< Back Sarina contacts

Ahhh! >:[ I just got yelled at for trying to eat in a teacher's room.

Why were you trying to eat in a teacher's room?

BC apparently I'm a loser with no friends.

Dude screw school. Just skip.

Message

Send

Hmm. Skipping school doesn't seem like such a bad idea right now. It's not like he's going to learn anything anyways - He's too mad to even think.

< Back Sarina contacts

Ahhh! >:[ I just got yelled at for trying to eat with a random classmate.

Why were you trying to eat w/ a rando?

BC apparently I'm a loser with no friends.

Dude screw school. Just skip.

Message

Send

Hmm. Skipping school doesn't seem like such a bad idea right now. It's not like he's going to learn anything anyways - He's too mad to even think.

Adam is the kind of person that is always trying to make a joke. Whenever he's not trying to be funny - which isn't often - he's actually alright.

Will has had it. He slips out during lunch and walks to the mall down the street. He feels great now that he's not in school. He wanders through the mall looking at things he wish he had the money to buy. He goes to the food court and spends his last few dollars on some food. As he's [[texting Sarina->sarina_text_6]] he starts to think he might have made a mistake. It felt good to leave at the time, but his school has an automated system - if he isn't present in class his parents get a phone call. How could he have forgotten about that! Will could have perfectly predicted what would happen. When his mom got home she freaked out - yelling at him and asking why he can't do the right thing. When his dad got home Will got to re-experience everything that happened with his mom. In the end they took his phone away. That night Will uses his old iPod to go online. He's gotten an [[email]] from Sarina. What should he do? [[Meet up]] [[Ask her to mail it to him]]

Will has had it. He slips out during lunch and walks to the Taco Bell down the street. If he's going to skip he might as well leave and get some good food. Will grabs some food and eats it in a park a few blocks away. As he's [[texting Sarina->sarina_text_6]] he starts to think he might have made a mistake. It felt good to leave at the time, but his school has an automated system - if he isn't present in class his parents get a phone call. How could he have forgotten about that! Will could have perfectly predicted what would happen. When his mom got home she freaked out - yelling at him and asking why he can't do the right thing. When his dad got home Will got to re-experience everything that happened with his mom. In the end they took his phone away. That night Will uses his old iPod to go online. He's gotten an [[email]] from Sarina. What should he do? [[Meet up]] [[Ask her to mail it to him]]

< Back Sarina contacts

I'm pretty sure my parents are gonna find out that I skipped school

What do you think they're gonna do?

I don't know man. Take my phone I guess.

Nooo! :( :( they can't do that... who am I going to talk to?

I don't want to stop talking to you. If I stop responding email me. willpower02@mail.com

Message

Send

Will knows his parents are going to be angry. Their go to punishment for Will is taking his phone away, so it's pretty much guaranteed to happen.

From:sarina419@mail.com

Subject:Your phone got taken :( :( :(

Will,
I'm guessing your phone got taken. That suuuuuucks. I'm really sorry! I want to help fix this problem since I feel like it was kinda my fault it got taken. So my parents are like super rich. I have a couple extra phones. One is like a preloaded one. Can we meet up so I can give it to you? That way we can text each other - yay!
Let me know what you think!
XOXOXO
Sarina

Interesting - this could solve a lot of problems. Then it'd be so much easier to talk to Sarina. It's nice of her, but Will doesn't really know if he should be giving her his address.

What's the harm in meeting up? Will's a guy, it's not like anybody is going to try and hurt him. Will agrees to meet up with Sarina. She offers to come pick him up, but it's just too risky. A neighbor could see or his parents could come home from work early for some reason. It's better to meet elsewhere. Sarina suggests a gas station on the edge of town - it's a little far for Will, but Sarina's really helping him out, so he agrees. After school Will hops on a city bus and walks the rest of the way to the gas station. As he's walking up the gas station looks like it's been closed for years. It's definitely creepy. He sees Sarina's car and walks up to the window. The windows are tinted and he can't really see inside the car, so Will is pretty surprised when the window rolls down and [[this person]] is looking back at him. What should Will do? [[Walk away]] [[Ask what's going on]]

Will doesn't know about meeting up. He likes Sarina and he wants to see her, but his parents are already really mad at him. It would just be easier if she mailed it to him. He asks Sarina if she would do that for him and she kind of makes a big deal out of it. She's really pushing for a meet up. She's acting in a way Will hasn't seen before. She's being kind of controlling and making Will feel guilty. What should he do? [[Stop talking to her]] [[Agree to meet up ->Meet up]]

Will doesn't want to judge anyone, but this guy looks kind of creepy. Who could he be?

Nope. No way. Will starts walking away - he doesn't know who that guy is and he doesn't really want to find out. Will hears the car door open and shut. They guy has gotten out, and is walking towards Will calling out his name. That's it, this is crazy. Will books it out of there. He runs into the woods. His heart is pounding as he finds his way out and to a bus stop. What is going on?! Will makes it home. He can't stop thinking about what just happened. He feels like he has to do something. What should he do? [[Get Steve's help]] [[Tell his parents]]

Did Will make some kind of mistake? Maybe it's just a weird coincidence that somebody driving the same car as Sarina is at this gas station. The man greets him by name and Will's blood runs cold. What is going on? The man says Sarina was held up. He's her dad and he wants to take Will to go see her. What should Will do? [[Get in the car]] [[Run away]]

Everything that guy said could be true. Will gets in the car. As he sits down the man locks the doors. The man tells Will that he's not actually Sarina's dad. In fact, there is no Sarina, but all the nice things she had said to him were still true, they were just the man's words. Will's head starts spinning. He had been talking to a grown man the entire time. He had shared his fears, desires, and pains with this man... and now he's trapped in a car with him. What was he thinking? The man starts to reach out towards Will. Will pulls the lock up and forces the door open. He rolls out and immediately sprints into the surrounding woods. The man is calling out Will's name telling him to come back. Will's heart is pounding and he's starting to feel sick. He makes it out of the woods, to a bus stop and finally home. He can't stop thinking about what just happened. He feels like he has to do something. What should he do? It's pretty obvious to Will's parents that something is going on. He opens up to them and tells him all about his break up, how he had no friends at school, and how he met Sarina. He tells them about trying to meet up with her and the weird man who was at the gas station. Will's parents are freaked out by what happened and want him to make a police report. Will really doesn't want to, he doesn't want to think that any of this is even real. How did he get tricked like that? Will flat out refuses to go to the police, but when his parents bring up the fact that the same thing could happen to someone else he feels a little differently. He has to make a report. How did this even happen? [[The end->wattpad-end-1]]

Nope. No way. Will bolts - he doesn't know who that guy is and he doesn't really want to find out. Will hears the car door open and shut. They guy has gotten out, and is running towards Will calling out his name. Will books it out of there. He runs into the woods. His heart is pounding as he finds his way out and to a bus stop. What is going on?! Will makes it home. He can't stop thinking about what just happened. He feels like he has to do something. What should he do? [[Get Steve's help]] [[Tell his parents]]

Will keeps it together for the night. His parents can tell something is wrong, but they assume it's just because he had his phone taken away. The next day at school he goes up to Steve. He can tell Steve is about to tell him to go away, so Will cuts him off - telling him he was almost abducted, or assaulted, or something last night. Steve's taken aback. He listens to Will's story. He offers to help Will, he says that they can't let that guy get away with what he's done or do it to someone else. He goes home with Will that afternoon, he first wants to do some investigating. He looks at Sarina's profile and downloads her profile picture. He uses Google to do a reverse image search and finds the same picture in dozens of other places on the internet. It's obviously a picture of a model that people are reusing. He does some more digging trying to figure out who the person really is, but ultimately gets stumped. He tells Will they have to go to the police. Will is embarrassed, but he knows it's the right thing to do. Steve offers to go with him and the two head to police department [[The end->wattpad-end-1]]

It's pretty obvious to Will's parents that something is going on. He opens up to them and tells him all about his break up, how he had no friends at school, and how he met Sarina. He tells them about trying to meet up with her and the weird man who was at the gas station. Will's parents are freaked out by what happened and want him to make a police report. Will really doesn't want to, he doesn't want to think that any of this is even real. How did he get tricked like that? Will flat out refuses to go to the police, but when his parents bring up the fact that the same thing could happen to someone else he feels a little differently. He has to make a report. How did this even happen? [[The end->wattpad-end-1]]

Because of many of the decisions you had Will make, he met with an online predator. Online predators are sneaky and manipulative - look back through this pathway for some of the warning signs. Asking for personal information, pushing to meet up in person, and turning you against your friends and family are all red flags. Online predators target young adults between the ages of 14 and 17. There are male and female online predators of all ages who make contact with young adults through social media. It's up to you to use extreme caution when talking to strangers online. Never give out personal information and never meet up in real life with a stranger you met online. If time remains, [[return to the beginning->Let's get started!]] and see what would happen if you made different decisions.

Will's not into the way Sarina's acting. He's going to stop talking to her for a little while. He puts his ipod away and stares up at his bedroom ceiling. It's weird not talking to her. For the last month or so she was the only person he talked to. He doesn't really have any friends anymore. Sarina was really good at pointing out all the ways his friends and family were letting him down. In fact, she kind of turned him against them. He ponders this as he drifts off to sleep. The next day Will sees he has a few dozen notifications. [[Some of them->email2]] are really weird. He's kind of freaked out now. What should he do? [[Ask Steve for help]] [[Talk to his parents]]

From:sarina419@mail.com

Subject:Answer me!!!

How are you just gonna ghost me, Will?!? After everything I've done for you. I've been so nice to you and now you're treating me terribly. Are you back with your girlfriend? You know she doesn't really love you. Did you tell anyone about our relationship - I told you to keep it a secret! You must contact me!

Whoa. That's a lot. Is she going crazy or something? Will hasn't told anyone that they've been talking, but now he's thinking he probably should...

Will decides to [[text Steve->steve_text_1]]. Steve tells Will about using Google to search the internet for specific images - by uploading Sarina's profile picture Will can see that her image is used all over the internet. The real image is of someone else. This makes Will really wonder who he's been talking to. What should he do? [[Report the account]] [[Set a trap]]

There is literally no one else to go to. That night Will talks to his parents about his break up, about how he and Steve are no longer friends, and about how he started talking to Sarina. They immediately want to go through his phone! Will definitely was talking about some stuff that he doesn't want his parents to see. Sarina and Will even sent some pictures back and forth. Ugh! After snooping around his parents sit him down. To Will's surprise they're more concerned than mad. They go through his texts and point out a lot of suspicious things that Will didn't catch before. Will gave Sarina so much information. Over the course of weeks it didn't seem unusual, but he told her what school he went to and where he lived, he sent pictures of himself, and almost met up with her in real life. He made some pretty bad mistakes. Luckily he went to somebody for help. [[The End->wattpad-end-2]]

Because of you Will narrowly avoided meeting up with an online predator. Anyone can fall victim to an online predator. Online predators are sneaky and manipulative - look back through this pathway for some of the warning signs. Asking for personal information, pushing to meet up in person, and turning you against your friends and family are all red flags. Online predators target young adults between the ages of 14 and 17. There are male and female online predators of all ages who make contact with young adults through social media. It's up to you to use extreme caution when talking to strangers online. Never give out personal information and never meet up in real life with a stranger you met online. If time remains, [[return to the beginning->Let's get started!]] and see what would happen if you made different decisions.

< Back Steve contacts

Steve - I know you're mad at me. I deserve it. I really do, but I'm in some trouble and need your help.

What's up?

This girl started texting me and now she's kind of freaking out and I'm not sure what's going on. this is her profile. bit.ly/ekb7Rh9

Dude... You realize that's a fake account right?

what do you mean?

"She"tried to follow me too. I just reverse image searched her. She's some kind of model.

Message

Send

Wait...what? Sarina isn't even real? How can that even be possible?!

Will doesn't want this to happen to anyone else. He reports her accounts on Wattpad and Instagram, but he feels he should do more. At school the next day he sets up some time with Mrs. Daniels. He tells her about everything that happened. He shows her the profiles and the emails he's been sending. Mrs. Daniels is really alarmed - she seems to think this is even more serious than Will does. Apparently whoever is pretending to be Sarina is almost guaranteed to be an online predator. She goes on to explain that people like this almost always leave digital clues behind that the police can use to track them down. She thanks Will for doing the right thing. Even though it was kind of embarrassing to talk to her about it, it was really important. Now this person won't be able to trick anyone else. [[The End ->wattpad-end-2]]

Will comes up with what he thinks is a brilliant scheme. He'll ask "Sarina" to meet up, but the address he'll give her will be a police station. He sends an email apologizing to "Sarina" for not wanting to meet up and then suggests meeting at 414 East Prospect Avenue. [[Her response->email3]] makes Will's blood run cold. There's no way Will wants some random online predator showing up at his house. What if they robbed him or hurt his mom or something. Trying to mess with this person was a bad idea. Will realizes he needs some help. He decides to go to his guidance counselor, Mrs. Daniels. He tells her about everything that happened. He shows her the profiles and the emails he's been sending. Mrs. Daniels is really alarmed. She seems to think this is even more serious than Will does. Apparently whoever is pretending to be Sarina is almost guaranteed to be an online predator. She goes on to explain that people like this almost always leave digital clues behind that the police can use to track them down. She thanks Will for doing the right thing. Even though it was kind of embarrassing to talk to her about it, it was really important. Now this person won't be able to trick anyone else. [[The End ->wattpad-end-3]]

From:sarina419@mail.com

Subject:re:I'm sorry :( Let's meet up

Why are you asking to meet up at a police station, Will?
Maybe I'll just show up at your house since I know where you live ;)
Lots of love,
Sarina

Is she... threatening him? Could the person pretending to be Sarina really just show up at his house? What would they do?

Trying to trick an online predator is never a good idea. They have no issues with hurting young adults or breaking the law - they're definitely not the kind of person you want to mess with. Online predators are sneaky and manipulative - look back through this pathway for some of the warning signs. Asking for personal information, pushing to meet up in person, and turning you against your friends and family are all red flags. Online predators target young adults between the ages of 14 and 17. There are male and female online predators of all ages who make contact with young adults through social media. It's up to you to use extreme caution when talking to strangers online. Never give out personal information and never meet up in real life with a stranger you met online. If time remains, [[return to the beginning->Let's get started!]] and see what would happen if you made different decisions.

This guy is really into video games. Will and Steve used to talk while playing videogames all the time, but that feels a little different.

Will flops down and passes out. He wakes up a few hours later feeling great - he starts doing some homework, but just can't find the motivation to keep going. He turns on his X Box and goes on Netflix. He puts on Stranger Things and sits back and relaxes. He's getting into the episode when he gets an invitation from xXLastSonXx to join his party. Will joins his game - they're playing for a little bit when xXLastSonXx sends him a [[message->xbox_message2]]. What should Will do? [[Get his mic]] [[Tell him he doesn't have one]]

Will decides that sleep can wait. He turns on his X Box and sees that xXLastSonXx sent him an invite to join his party. Is this guy always playing video games? Will joins his game - they're playing for a little bit when xXLastSonXx sends him a [[message->xbox_message2]]. What should Will do? [[Get his mic]] [[Tell him he doesn't have one]]

The only messages Will usually gets from people on X Box Live are too foul to be repeated. This one is different.

Will gets out his mic and starts talking to xXLastSonXx. Will notices that his voice is pretty deep - he sounds older. After asking xXLastSonXx admits that he's 25. That's almost 10 years older than Will. How should Will react? [[Go with it]] [[Ask why he's talking to teenagers]]

Will doesn't really feel like talking. He shoots a message back saying he doesn't have a mic. xXLastSunXx doesn't seem to mind - he just keeps sending messages. Eventually it gets old having to pull up the menu to see what this guy is saying, so Will stops responding. The messages start to get more frequent and annoying so Will blocks him. Will decides to play another game - as he's playing he notices that one of his teammates is a girl. She's talking on a mic and everyone is being really rude to her and making sexist comments. Will hardly ever plays with girls. This he decides, is worth getting his mic out for. He tells everyone to shut up and leave her alone. Not surprisingly they all round on Will and start making fun of him. He gets a request to join a party from the the girl who was playing. Will joins the party and she asks him to leave his current game. Should he? [[Yes]] [[No]]

Age doesn't really matter. Will would have been sketched out if he had lied about his age - it's kind of a relief that at least someone on the internet is honest. xXLastSonXx has been pretty nice to Will. Plus it's cool having an older guy pay attention to him. The two end up playing video games pretty much every day - Will gets to know xXLastSonXx pretty well. His real name is Alan and despite the age difference the two have a lot in common. In fact, Alan lives in the same town as Will! After a couple weeks of playing video games together the two share phone numbers. Will gets [[this text->alan_text_1]] from Alan. How should he respond? [[Tell Alan he doesn't want to talk about that]] [[Share his celebrity crush]]

Will is kind of weirded out that a 25 year old wants to play video games with a teenager. He asks xXLastSonXx why he's playing with somebody so much younger than him - his response actually makes a lot of sense. He said that Will seemed pretty mature. He said there are people older than him that are super annoying and act like children and then there are people younger than him that are pretty smart. You can't tell just by their age. Will thinks it's kind of cool having an older guy pay attention to him. The two end up playing video games pretty much every day - Will gets to know xXLastSonXx pretty well. His real name is Alan and despite the age difference the two have a lot in common. In fact, Alan lives in the same town as Will! After a couple weeks of playing video games together the two share phone numbers. Will gets [[this text->alan_text_1]] from Alan. How should he respond? [[Tell Alan he doesn't want to talk about that]] [[Share his celebrity crush]]

Will [[texts back->alan_text_3]] saying he doesn't want to talk about women with Alan. Alan seems to understand and doesn't bring it up again. Will still feels really weird. Just to be safe Will leaves the party and blocks him. Will decides to play another game - as he's playing he notices that one of his teammates - is a girl. She's talking on a mic and everyone is being really rude to her and making sexist coments. Will hardly ever plays with girls. This he decides, is worth getting his mic out for. He tells everyone to shut up and leave her alone. Not surprisingly they all round on Will and start making fun of him. He gets a request to join a party from the the girl who was playing. Will joins the party and she asks him to leave his current game. Should he? [[Yes]] [[No]]

Will [[texts back->alan_text_2]] and is surprised when Alan sends him a link. He clicks on it and as Will could have guessed, it takes him to a porn site. How should Will react? [[Stop talking to Alan]] [[Tell him not to send links like that anymore]] [[Ignore it]]

< Back Alan contacts

Dude I just saw that new marvel movie

I want to see that! Was it good?

It was awesome. The chick in it is so hot!

She's my celebrity crush for sure. Who are you into?

Message

Send

Will really wants to see that movie. He agrees that the actress Alan's talking about is good looking, but he doesn't know if he should be talking about that. He talked about that kind of stuff with Steve, but that somehow felt different.

< Back Alan contacts

She's my celebrity crush for sure. Who are you into?

Man I'm not trying to talk about that

Still hung up over Leslie, I see.

It's not that, I just don't want to talk about that stuff

Message

Send

< Back Alan contacts

She's my celebrity crush for sure. Who are you into?

Dude Selena Gomez isn't bad. Isn't bad at all

Oh man - she's hot. Check out this site bit.ly/379d2GH There are girls that look just like her.

Message

Send

Alan is pretty cool, but this conversation got a little uncomfortable. Will doesn't know what the tiny url leads to, but that seems like a risky click.

That's really weird. Why would Alan send him a site like that? Will thinks it's a good idea to just cut off contact with Alan. He doesn't respond to Alans texts and he turns his X Box off. He'll have to find something else to do for fun for a little while. That was just too weird. A couple days without playing X Box was probably good for Will's grades. He had a lot more time to work on homework and read. He even wrote a few stories and posted them to Wattpad. Will had pretty much forgotten about what had happened with Alan when he got a [[text->alan_text_4]] from him. Will decided that it's all good. Different people have different types of friendships. The two start playing games again regularly. Staying up late every night makes getting up harder than it already is. One evening Alan suggests that Will pretend to be sick tomorrow. He has the day off from work so the two could do a campaign run on 'Legendary.' This seems like an awesome idea to Will. It's not like he's going to learn anything in school anyways. He can barely stay awake in any of his classes. The next morning when Will hasn't gotten up for school his mom comes in to check on him. When Will says he's sick she totally buys it. Within an hour Will has the house to himself. Alan [[texts->alan_text_6]] him asking to hang out. What should they do? [[Go to a movie]] [[Get lunch]]

Will [[texts back->alan_text_5]] telling Alan not to send him that kind of thing anymore. That was just weird. After that things kind of return to normal. The two play video games pretty much every night. Will feels like he can open up to Alan about how frustrating school is. Staying up late every night makes getting up harder than it already is. Alan suggests that Will pretend to be sick tomorrow. He has the day off from work so the two could do a campaign run through on 'Legendary.' This seems like an awesome idea to Will. It's not like he's going to learn anything in school anyways. He can barely stay awake in any of his classes. The next morning when Will hasn't gotten up for school his mom comes in to check on him. When Will says he's sick she totally buys it. Within an hour Will has the house to himself. Alan [[texts->alan_text_6]] him asking to hang out. What should they do? [[Go to a movie]] [[Get lunch]]

Will's just going to act like Alan never sent that. It's kind of too weird to bring up, but he also doesn't want to stop talking to him. They've become pretty good friends over the past few weeks. After that things kind of return to normal. The two play video games pretty much every night. Will feels like he can open up to Alan about how frustrating school is. Staying up late every night makes getting up harder than it already is. Alan suggests that Will pretend to be sick tomorrow. He has the day off from work so the two could do a campaign run through on the hardest difficulty. This seems like an awesome idea to Will. It's not like he's going to learn anything in school anyways. He can barely stay awake in any of his classes anyways. The next morning when Will hasn't gotten up for school his mom comes in to check on him. When Will says he's sick she totally buys it. Within an hour Will has the house to himself. Alan [[texts->alan_text_6]] him asking to hang out. What should they do? [[Go to a movie]] [[Get lunch]]

< Back Alan contacts

Hey man! I want to apologize for what I sent the other day. That's the relationship that I have with my other friends - I kind of forgot that you're a bit younger. I hope I didn't freak you out too much and I definitely won't be sending anything else like that.

Thanks man. That was just a little weird for me.

Totally get it. You're so mature I need to remind myself that you're only 16.

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Send

That makes sense. It's still kind of weird to Will that Alan would send that stuff to his other friends, but Will doesn't feel as freaked out.

< Back Alan contacts

Dude Selena Gomez isn't bad. Isn't bad at all

Oh man - she's hot. Check out this site bit.ly/379d2GH There are girls that look just like her.

Don't send me that stuff, man.

Oh my bad, Will. I thought you'd like it. I won't send that kind of thing to you anymore.

Message

Send

Will doesn't want his friends sending him sites like that. It's just kind of weird to him. He doesn't want to stop talking to Alan though.

< Back Alan contacts

Dude I'm feeling really cooped up. I never thought it would happen, but I think I've played too many video games. I feel like going to a movie or going out to lunch or something. You in?

I'm totally in. I just have to do a couple things first - get dressed and all that.

Ok word. Text me when you're done and let me know what you wanna do.

Message

Send

This is pretty awesome. Will hasn't gone out to do something fun in a long time - it seems like the perfect thing to do on a day off.

Will texts back telling Alan they should go see an action movie that afternoon. He catches a bus downtown and meets up with [[Alan]]. It's good to finally put a face to the voice. He looks exactly like what Will thought he would look like. The two go up to the ticket counter and Will pulls his wallet out when Alan stops him. Alan says he remembers what it was like to be a high school student and that he'll pay for the tickets. The movie was pretty bad, but Alan and Will enjoyed making fun of it. Hardly anyone was in the theater so they were able to shout things out - it was pretty fun. After the movie let out Alan offered to drive him home, which was much appreciated by Will - the bus actually takes a long time to get downtown. Alan said it was no problem, but he did have to make a stop first. After driving for a while he pulls into the parking lot of a liquor store. He was having people over that night and needed some drinks. Alan asks Will if he wants anything. What should Will do? [[Ask for alcohol]] [[Say he's good]]

Will texts back telling Alan they should grab lunch at a Mexican restaurant. He catches a bus downtown and meets up with [[Alan]]. It's good to finally put a face to the voice. He looks exactly like what Will thought he would look like. After lunch Alan offered to drive Will home, which was much appreciated by Will - the bus actually takes a long time to get downtown. Alan said it was no problem, but he did have to make a stop first. After driving for a while he pulls into the parking lot of a liquor store. He was having people over that night and needed some drinks. Alan then asks Will if he wants anything. What should Will do? [[Ask for alcohol]] [[Say he's good]]

Alan is a super laid back guy. He also is a really good listener. He always asks Will a lot of questions.

Will doesn't really know what to ask for, he's not a big drinker, but this seems like an opportunity that wouldn't come around often. Will says he'll take one of whatever Alan's getting. Alan tells Will to wait in the car, hops out, and returns a few minutes later handing Will a bottle of vodka. Will tells Alan how to get to his house, but before he gets out Alan stops him. He says that a guy he works with is having a hotel party. They're usually really awesome. Great music, good conversation, alcohol, and beautiful women. He tells Will he should come along. How should Will respond? [[Tell Alan he's in]] [[Tell Alan he'll think about it]]

Will doesn't drink, but he doesn't want to say that to Alan, so he just says he's all good at the moment. Alan tells Will to wait in the car, hops out, and returns a few minutes later with a big brown bag. Will tells Alan how to get to his house, but before he gets out Alan stops himn. He says that a guy he works with is having a hotel party. They're usually really awesome. Great music, good conversation, alcohol, and beautiful women. He tells Will he should come along. How should Will respond? [[Tell Alan he's in]] [[Tell Alan he'll think about it]]

That sounds like a good time to Will. He says he's definitely interested and asks Alan to text him the details later. Will walks inside, gets in bed, and makes himself look as sick as possible so when his parents get home they won't suspect anything. As he planned, his parents are none the wiser. That night a [[text->alan_text_7]] comes in from Alan. Who should he try and invite? [[Leslie]] [[Someone else]]

Will says he may or may not go - he has a lot of homework to do. Alan says that there will always be homework to do, but this kind of party only comes by every once in a while. When Will gets home, he walks inside, gets in bed, and makes himself look as sick as possible so when his parents get home they won't suspect anything. As he planned, his parents are none the wiser. Will can't stop thinking about the party. He needs to have some fun - he's been hanging out inside and playing video games too much. He decides he's going to go. He texts Alan telling him that he's in. Alan [[responds->alan_text_7]] almost immediately. Who should he try and invite? [[Leslie]] [[Someone else]]

< Back Alan contacts

Alright, here are the details:
This Saturday at the MGM Grand in Detroit. I can pick you up at 10. Thing is though, they have a weird rule about the guy/girl ratio. If you're coming you need to bring a high school girl. You'll get a lot of respect if you come with a couple of 'em though ;)

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Will's been to some parties where it's only been guys - he can understand how some older people might not be into that. Now he just needs to figure out who to invite.

Maybe Leslie will get back together with him if she sees that he has cool older friends. He [[texts->leslie_text_1]] Leslie and invites her. Her reaction, though, is kind of surprising. Will's not entirely sure why she thinks it's creepy. Older people hang out with teenagers all the time. Will doesn't know who else to ask. He starts to get pretty down on himself. Does he really only talk to one girl in the entire school? The next day at school he starts actively looking for people he can invite. The people he's closest to definitely aren't into drinking. He's about to text Alan and say he can't find anyone to invite when this girl [[Kylie]] starts talking to him at lunch. He's known Kylie for a little bit. The two even flirted a little before he started dating Leslie. On a whim Will asks her if she wants to go to this hotel party. She's interested, but wants to know more about Alan and his friends. She asks Will how they met. What should he say? [[Tell the truth]] [[Lie]]

There's no way Leslie would want to go with him. There is this girl named [[Kylie]] in his English class who's pretty cool. The next day at lunch Will sits down next to her and starts chatting. It's pretty easy to talk to Kylie. They were friends in middle school and almost dated before Will started going out with Leslie. Will casually mentions the hotel party. She's definitely intrigued, but wants to know more about how he met Alan. What should Will say? [[Tell the truth]] [[Lie]]

< Back Leslie contacts

Hey Leslie. I know it's been a little while, but I've been thinking about you. My friends are having a party at the MGM Grand in Detroit. You want to come?

What friends?

Some new older friends I met. There's gonna be music and alcohol and stuff. It'll be fun.

That sounds really creepy, Will. I'm not going to go to that.

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Send

Well it seems like Leslie is still mad at Will. I don't know why he thought inviting her to a party would change anything.

Kylie is awesome. She's friends with pretty much everyone. She's always inviting people to hang out on the weekends.

Will doesn't see a need to lie about how he met Alan. He tells Kylie about how he met Alan playing videogames and about how they hung out downtown. He tells her that Alan is really chill and not at all like a lot of other older people he knows. Kylie seems cool with everything Will told her and really wants to go to the party. The two text Alan to set a time and place where they can be picked up. Will tells his parents he's going to spend the night at Steve's house. Before Will knows it he's with Kylie in Alan's car on the way to Detroit. Will feels really cool driving through the city on the way to a party. The three walk into the hotel and on the elevator ride up Alan starts telling them about all the different people Will and Kylie will meet that night. When they get inside the hotel room it's not what Will thought it would be like. There's four people in the room - and the ratio is definitely not 50/50. They're all guys. What should Will do? [[Ask where everyone is]] [[Make up an excuse to leave]]

Will would feel kind of dumb saying he met this guy playing video games. He wants Kylie to think he's cool. He says he met Alan at a party a few weeks ago. He tells her that they've hung out downtown since then and that Alan is really chill - not at all like a lot of other older people he knows. Kylie seems cool with everything Will told her and really wants to go to the party. The two text Alan to set a time and place where they can be picked up. Will tells his parents he's going to spend the night at Steve's house. Before Will knows it he's with Kylie in Alan's car on the way to Detroit. Will feels really cool driving through the city on a way to a party. The three walk into the hotel and on the elevator ride up Alan starts telling them about all the different people Will and Kylie will meet that night. When they get inside the hotel room it's not what Will thought it would be like. There's four people in the room - and the ratio is definitely not 50/50. They're all guys. What should Will do? [[Ask where everyone is]] [[Make up an excuse to leave]]

Will walks into the room and leans to Alan asking him where everyone is. He sees drugs, alcohol, something that could be a gun sticking out of one of the guys waistband. Alan looks at him and tells him there was a change of plans. Will is really confused right now. These don't seem like the kind of people Alan would be friends with. He's starting to get a little scared. [[This man]], who appears to be in charge, asks Alan where the girl is. Will turns around and sees Kylie hasn't come into the room. She's standing in the hallway looking terrified. Alan makes a move towards her and she pulls the fire alarm and bolts down the hall. Will doesn't know what's going on, but he doesn't want to stick around to find out. He runs after Kylie and into the stairwell. He shouts after her asking what's going on, but she's shouts back for him to leave her alone. Will hears the doors to the stairwell open. Dozens of people from all floors are leaving their rooms to get out of the building. What should Will do? [[Blend into the crowd and call a ride home]] [[Run to a safe place and call his parents]]

Will searches for a reason - any reason - to get out of that room. Will leans to Alan and is about to say that he needs to go make a phone call when he sees drugs, alcohol, something that could be a gun sticking out of one of the guys waistband. Will is starting to get scared. [[This man]], who appears to be in charge, asks Alan where "the girl" is. Will turns around and sees Kylie hasn't come into the room. She's standing in the hallway looking terrified. Alan makes a move towards her and she pulls the fire alarm and bolts down the hall. Will doesn't know what's going on, but he doesn't want to stick around to find out. He runs after Kylie and into the stairwell. He shouts after her asking what's going on, but she's shouts back for him to leave her alone. Will hears the doors to the stairwell open. Dozens of people from all floors are leaving their rooms to get out of the building. What should Will do? [[Blend into the crowd and call a ride home]] [[Run to a safe place and call his parents]]

This guy doesn't look like he plays around. Will is starting to feel like he's been tricked. He doesn't know what they want, though.

Will pulls out his phone and requests a ride - this is going to be really expensive, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Will jumps in the ride and tries to act like nothing is wrong. It's a long ride home and he [[texts Kylie]] a bunch of times, but she doesn't respond to anything he says. He gets out of the car and walks into his house. His parents are surprised to see him - they ask why he isn't at Steve's house. Oh no! In the confusion Will forgot his parents thought he was spending the night elsewhere. What should he do? [[Tell them everything]] [[Lie->Lie2]]

Will ducks into a convenience store and calls his parents. There's no one else to go to and this is really, really serious. The phone rings once, twice, and finally his parents pick up. He spills the story quickly and to their credit, his parents don't interrupt him or yell at him. His dad says he's going to come meet Will, but in the meantime he has to call the police. Will can't believe what's happening. He hangs up, dials 911, and tries to get the story straight in his head. [[The End->xbox_end1]]

< Back Kylie contacts

Hey that was super weird. What's going on?

You know I had no idea that was gonna happen, right?

Will you at least text me back so I know you're ok?

Message

Send

Will is a little worried about Kylie. He doesn't think those guys found her, but she's probably really scared right now.

There's no use in lying. This seems like as good a time as any to come clean. Plus he may need his parents help. He tells them all about how he met Alan, how they started hanging out and how he lied to them about spending the night at Steve's house. They obviously are really, really angry at Will, but their reactions change sharply when they hear about Kylie and the men in the hotel room. They tell Will that the situation he got Kylie into was serious. They tell him that she could have been raped or abducted. This hits Will like a truck. How had he been so stupid? How could he have put Kylie's life in danger. All Will wants to do right now is go to sleep, but his parents tell him there's more important things right now. They have to go to the police, make a report and see if Kylie is alright. Will can't believe this is happening. When did this all go wrong? [[The End ->xbox_end1]]

Will tries to think quickly. He tells his parents he got a migraine and had Steve drop him off at home. His parents look at him suspiciously. A moment passes where Will is pretty sure they're going to call him on his lie, but to his relief they tell him to go get some rest. Nothing could have prepared Will for what would happen the next day. In the early afternoon Will hears a deafening knock on his door. His mother opens the door and he hears a gasp. A police officer enters their home and places Will under arrest. The officer said something about aiding a human trafficker. This is all a huge misunderstanding! Will tries to tell the officer that, but the officer tells him he needs to share that information with a judge. Will is confused and terrified. He knows he's not guilty, but Kylie clearly thought he was in on the whole thing. This is terrible. It's going to take forever to get all this sorted out! [[The End->xbox_end2]]

Because of many of the decisions you had Will make, he and Kylie could have been seriously harmed by an online predator. Online predators are sneaky and manipulative - look back through this pathway for some of the warning signs. Asking for personal information, pushing to meet up in person, and offering drugs or alcohol are all red flags. Online predators will often use high school boys as a way of luring young women. There are male and female online predators of all ages who make contact with young adults through social media. It's up to you to use extreme caution when talking to strangers online. Never give out personal information and never meet up in real life with a stranger you met online. If time remains, [[return to the beginning->Let's get started!]] and see what would happen if you made different decisions.

Because of many of the decisions you had Will make, he and Kylie could have been seriously harmed by an online predator and ultimately, Will was mistaken for one. Online predators are sneaky and manipulative - look back through this pathway for some of the warning signs. Asking for personal information, pushing to meet up in person, and offering drugs or alcohol are all red flags. Online predators will often use high school boys as a way of luring young women. There are male and female online predators of all ages who make contact with young adults through social media. It's up to you to use extreme caution when talking to strangers online. Never give out personal information and never meet up in real life with a stranger you met online. If time remains, [[return to the beginning->Let's get started!]] and see what would happen if you made different decisions.

Wow. I guess she moved on quickly. Will can't believe she's already moved on to someone else while he's sitting here obsessing over her Facebook photos.

Friend RequestsFind Friends • Settings

Natalie G.
14 mutual friends

Confirm

Delete Request

Will is trying to remember whether or not he knows anyone named Natalie. She looks super familiar and apparently they know a couple of the same people. Did she go to his high school?

Will is almost positive that he knows this girl. He accepts the request and goes on to check out [[her profile]]. He's fairly confident that she went to Allatoona. He thinks she might have been in his yearbook class when he was a sophomore. While the friend request took his mind off of Leslie for a little while, his thoughts return to her and his mood drops. It's hard for Will to sleep that night and the next day at school he's exhausted. It seems like everyone is in a relationship. He looks at all the people holding hands in the hallway and feels terrible about himself. His phone buzzes, bringing him back from his thoughts. It's a [[Facebook message]]. Will hopes that it's from Leslie, but when he checks he's surprised to find it's from that girl Natalie. How should Will respond? [[Try and see how he knows her]] [[Ignore her]]

Will doesn't really want to accept a request from someone he doesn't know. He checks out [[her profile]] to see more about her. After doing a bit of snooping, he's fairly confident that she went to Allatoona. He thinks she might have been in his yearbook class when he was a sophomore. He decides to keep the request in his inbox and come back to it later. While the mystery of who Natalie is took his mind off of Leslie for a little while, his thoughts return to her and his mood drops. It's hard for Will to sleep that night and the next day at school he's exhausted. It seems like everyone is in a relationship. He looks at all the people holding hands in the hallway and feels terrible about himself. His phone buzzes, bringing him back from his thoughts. It's a [[Facebook message]]. Will hopes that it's from Leslie, but when he checks he's surprised to find it's from that girl Natalie. How should Will respond? [[Try and see how he knows her]] [[Ignore her]]

Will still can't decide whether or not he knows this girl. He feel like he must since they have so many mutual friends.

Natalie G.

Heyy 8) Do you remember me??

type a message...

She's so familiar, and all the mutual friends means Will definitely knows her from somewhere. He just can't remember where. It seems like she knows him, though.

Will [[messages her back]]. She's pretty easy to talk to. It turns out that Will was right - he did know her from his yearbook class. He doesn't remember her being a senior though. Will feels cool talking to someone who's not in high school anymore. That night Natalie messages Will asking if he wants to video chat. What should Will do? [[Video chat with Natalie]] [[Tell her he can't]]

Will doesn't want to talk to someone from school. That sounds like drama waiting to happen. He turns on his X Box and starts playing video games. As he's playing he notices that one of his teammates - is a girl. She's talking on a mic and everyone is being really rude to her and making sexist coments. Will hardly ever plays with girls. This he decides, is worth getting his mic out for. He tells everyone to shut up and leave her alone. Not surprisingly they all round on Will and start making fun of him. He gets a request to join a party from the the girl who was playing. Will joins the party and she asks him to leave his current game. Should he? [[Yes]] [[No]]

Natalie G.

Heyy 8) Do you remember me??

Uh I kinda do. Were you in Ms. Pickens yearbook class last year?

Yess! That's totally it! I couldn't remember!

What class are you in now?

Oh I like graduated last year. No more school for me - yay!

type a message...

So that's where he knows her from. He knew it! That's cool that she graduated. She was always really funny in class.

Will goes in his room and calls Natalie. The two [[video chat]] for a while. The connection is really bad. Her video keeps cutting in and out and nothing is synced up. She also says the mic on her computer isn't working, so she types instead of talking. Will asks if they can just talk on the phone, but Natalie is pretty keen on video chatting. It becomes apparent why that is pretty soon. She starts flirting with Will. Will really misses Leslie and it feels good to get attention from a girl. Then things take an interesting turn - Natalie starts taking off her clothes. She tells him to do the same. This has never happened to Will, but it seems pretty awesome. A little while later the two hang up - Will asks when they can talk again and Natalie tells him she'll message him soon. What should Will do now? [[Brag to Steve]] [[Play video games]]

He was cool with just messaging, but video chatting is too much - he's not trying to tell her his life story. He ignores her and turns on his X Box. As he's playing he notices that one of his teammates - is a girl. She's talking on a mic and everyone is being really rude to her and making sexist coments. Will hardly ever plays with girls. This he decides, is worth getting his mic out for. He tells everyone to shut up and leave her alone. Not surprisingly they all round on Will and start making fun of him. He gets a request to join a party from the the girl who was playing. Will joins the party and she asks him to leave his current game. Should he? [[Yes]] [[No]]

Will thinks this is awesome - Natalie is really pretty and seems really cool. This is definitely taking his mind off of Leslie.

Will [[texts Steve->steve_text_2]]. Will can tell that Steve is still a little irritated with him, but Will knows that he's intrigued by the story. He's just getting to the good parts when he gets a [[Facebook message->fb_msg_2]]. Will's mind goes blank. What did he just read? After it sinks in he starts to feel sick. How is this happening? Will didn't know that kind of thing could happen to guys! What should he do? [[Ask Steve for help->steve_help_2]] [[Get the money]] [[Negotiate]]

Will starts playing Battlefield. He's contemplating what an awesome turn his life took when he gets a [[Facebook message->fb_msg_2]]. Will's mind goes blank. What did he just read? After it sinks in he starts to feel sick. How is this happening? Will didn't know that kind of thing could happen to guys! What should he do? [[Ask Steve for help->steve_help_2]] [[Get the money]] [[Negotiate]]

< Back Steve contacts

Hey man, I know you're mad at me. I totally understand. I'm gonna be a better friend - ok? I've also got a story for you

Go on...

Remember that really fine girl from my yearbook class? She messaged me on facebook and within like 24 hours we cybered.

Are you serious? That's crazy, man!

Message

Send

Will doesn't usually brag about the stuff he does, but this is just crazy - how often does this happen to anybody?

Natalie G.

Hiii sweetie ;) So I need $1,000

CENSORED

Or I could show this to your FB friends

type a message...

Oh no... She took a screenshot of him. This is bad. This is really, really bad...

Will's going to try and get the money, but he needs to buy time - who has a thousand dollars laying around? He [[messages]] Natalie back. This isn't good. Will does some quick math - he has about $150 in his bank account, he can sell his X Box, games, and accessories for around $500. He's still really short, though. He takes a few quick pictures of his X Box and posts it to Craigslist and eBay. Hopefully someone gets back to him before Friday. What else should he do for money? [[Borrow money from Steve]] [[Steal from his parents]]

Will panics - a thousand dollars is an insane price to come up with. He [[messages->blackmail_respond]] her back - hoping she'll be reasonable. Will scrambles to check his Facebook feed, but there's nothing there... Maybe she's bluffing? He's starting to feel relieved when he gets one text message after another - all of them telling him that they'd received pictures of him! As embarrassing as it is, Will has to go get help. Who should he go to? [[His parents]] [[School administration]]

Will [[texts->steve_text_4]] Steve to see what he thinks. The two hatch a plan. There has to be a bank account tied to a Venmo account - they'll be able to report this person and they'll actually get caught. Steve is really pushing for going to the police, but Will isn't sure about it. What should he do? [[Go to the police]] [[Use Ok2say]]

Natalie G.

Or I could show this to your FB friends

Okay okay - I'll get you your money. It's going to take a little while tho!

You have until Friday. If you don't venmo $1,000 to this account I'm going to expose you.

type a message...

Friday is only 4 days away! How is Will going to come up with a thousand dollars!?

That night, once his parents are asleep, Will looks through his mom's purse and his dad's wallet - together they had around $50 - nowhere near enough. Will thinks about what he's done and feels ashamed. His parents work hard - how could he take their money? He puts it back and realizes he has to make a report. In his mind, Will can do one of two things. What should he do? [[Go to the police]] [[Use Ok2say]]

Will doesn't know what to do. This is going to be embarrassing, but he doesn't have many other options. He [[texts Steve->steve_text_3]] and tells him what happened. Steve is such a good friend. Will wracks his brain trying to come up with other ways to get money, but he comes up short. Luckily lots of people have been interested in his X Box, but by Wednesday, once it's sold and he has money from Steve, he has a little more than $800 dollars. Will's surprised that he got that much money together - he hopes that Natalie will be ok with that much. Friday morning he Venmos the money to her, crossing his fingers that she'll be ok with it being short. Almost immediately he gets [[this message]]. Will scrambles to check his Facebook feed, but there's nothing there... Maybe she's bluffing? He's starting to feel relieved when he gets one text message after another - all of them telling him that they'd received pictures of him! As embarrassing as it is, Will has to go get help. Who should he go to? [[His parents]] [[School administration]]

< Back Steve contacts

Are you serious? That's crazy, man!

Crazier than I'd like... She took a screenshot of me. Now she's asking for a thousand bucks. I think I'm actually going to die.

WHAT??? You're kidding, right?

No I'm not - dude I hate to do this, but can I borrow some money?

...I can give you 200... But you have to pay me back, man - that's my life savings

Of course I will! You're a life saver, Steve!

Message

Send

Will doesn't usually brag about the stuff he does, but this is just crazy - how often does this happen to anybody?

Natalie G.

You have until Friday. If you don't venmo $1,000 to this account I'm going to expose you.

You're short. You know what happens now.

type a message...

No! Will was so close to having all of the money! How can Natalie be so heartless?

Will isn't going to school today - there's no way he can look anyone in the eye. He calls his mom at work. As soon as she answers the phone she knows something is wrong. Will tells his mom - she's pretty surprised and confused at first. To her credit, she doesn't freak out or yell at him. She tells him to go to her facebook and get as much information off of it as possible. She also says to get information from her Venmo account. Will goes to his Facebook app, but Natalie's account is gone. He checks the Venmo account and it's the same story. Will is starting to feel like he's going crazy. He gets his Sophomore year yearbook out and goes to the yearbook staff section. There's no Natalie G. Will has no idea who this person was he has been talking to. Will's heart sinks as he realizes he will have to make a police report. How did he get so completely tricked? [[The End->fb_end1]]

Will catches the bus to school. Luckily no one on his bus seems to have gotten the picture of him - even still, Will feels like everyone is looking at him. When he gets to school he ducks into the office. Walking into [[Mrs. Daniels->bio_mrs_daniels]] room. She starts to tell him she's busy, but Will breaks down and spills all of the details about what has happened to him. Needless to say, Mrs. Daniels is shocked. She doesn't seem to know the student Will is talking about. He notices last year's yearbook on her bookshelf. He grabs it and flips to the yearbook staff section, but there is no Natalie. He sees the girl he remembers - but now that he's looking at her again, she doesn't look like Natalie at all. Who has he been talking to? Will's heart sinks as Mrs. Daniels tells him he will have to make a police report. How did he get so completely tricked? [[The End->fb_end1]]

Because of the decisions you had Will make, he fell victim to an online predator. Most online predators want to meet face to face, but sexual exploitation can happen. This pathway is based on a true story in which a man was extorted and exposed. Online predators are sneaky and manipulative - look back through this pathway for some of the warning signs. Asking for personal information, pushing to meet up in person, and turning you against your friends and family are all red flags. Online predators target young adults between the ages of 14 and 17. There are male and female online predators of all ages who make contact with young adults through social media. It's up to you to use extreme caution when talking to strangers online. Never give our personal information or give in to blackmail - always get help. If time remains, [[return to the beginning->Let's get started!]] and see what would happen if you made different decisions.

This is pretty serious - he'll never be able to round up a thousand dollars. He's going to go to the police. He's hoping he won't get exposed, but he knows he can at least prevent this from happening to someone else. He calls the non-emergency police line, eventually speaking to a detective and telling him everything he knows. The police are taking this very serious because it isn't the first case they've seen. They suspect someone is posing as young women, taking embarrassing pictures and extorting their victims. They schedule an appointment to get Will's statement and collect evidence. Hopefully this will all be sorted out soon. Will can't help but wonder how he got so completely tricked. [[The End->fb_end2]]

Will remembered a [[poster]] he had seen in the hallway about a way to report things. Obviously, he would be mortified to talk to his parents or teachers about what happened to him. An online report is the perfect solution. He goes to ok2say.org and finds a form he can use to make the report - there's even a place where he can add evidence - he pastes the url to Natalie's page and the Venmo account. He sends the message and sits back. He feels so much better just having submitted the report. He still wonders how he was so completely tricked, though. [[The End->fb_end2]]

Because of the decisions you had Will make, he fell victim to an online predator - but he also reported them! Most online predators want to meet face to face, but sexual exploitation can happen. This pathway is based on a true story in which a man was extorted and exposed. Online predators are sneaky and manipulative - look back through this pathway for some of the warning signs. Asking for personal information, pushing to meet up in person, and turning you against your friends and family are all red flags. Online predators target young adults between the ages of 14 and 17. There are male and female online predators of all ages who make contact with young adults through social media. It's up to you to use extreme caution when talking to strangers online. Never give our personal information or give in to blackmail - always get help. If time remains, [[return to the beginning->Let's get started!]] and see what would happen if you made different decisions.

This seems like it could be helpful. It's perfect that Will can make a report without having to actually talk to someone.

< Back Steve contacts

Are you serious? That's crazy, man!

Crazier than I'd like... She took a screenshot of me. Now she's asking me to venmo her a thousand bucks. I think I'm actually going to die.

WHAT??? You're kidding, right?

No I'm not - dude what am I going to do??

You gotta report it - let's see if we can find anything out about her. Send me the links to her profile and the venmo account

Message

Send

Steve's always got a plan. Will's grateful for the help - he has no idea what to do.

Natalie G.

Or I could show this to your FB friends

Okay okay - I'll get you some money. The only thing is I don't have $1000 - BUT I can give you 100 right now if you delete the picture.

I don't play games. Have a nice time being exposed

type a message...

Will doesn't like the sound of that. He better check his Facebook feed - maybe if he flags it, Facebook will take it down before many people see it.

Will leaves his game and joins hers. The two stratgegize together and do really well. Eventually they start talking about things other than the game - really deep stuff like about how they're both unhappy at the moment. Will looks up from his game and realizes it's really late - he wants to talk to her again, though. How should they get in touch? [[By phone]] [[Through Facebook]]

Will is pretty annoyed the people he's playing with were pretty rude. He wants to completely demolish them in the game, so he tells her he's going to stay, but the two end up talking throughout the whole game. Afterwards they join the same game and play for almost four hours. He has to go to bed soon, but he wants to talk to her again, though. How should they get in touch? [[By phone]] [[Through Facebook]]

Will gives her his phone number and it's not long before he gets [[this text]]. Will can't help but smile. He didn't think she would actually text him. The two start talking - she asks a lot of really good questions and seems to really care about what Will has to say. When she finds out he's in high school she's really surprised. She tells him that she's actually 29. Will is surprised - she sounds younger. He's not freaked out though. Over a month or so the two are talking constantly. They play video games together here and there, but most of the time they're just texting each other. It's great because his life at school is pretty terrible. That makes it all worse when he gets a [[text]] from her. How should he respond? [[Tell her he doesn't want to stop talking to her->doesn't want to stop]] [[Ask her why->ask why]]

Will tells her his full name and tells her to find him on Facebook. It's not long before he gets this [[request]]. He wants to get to know her a little better, so he sends her a [[message->monica_fb]] how should he respond? [[Ask why she's talking to teenagers]] [[Ask her what she likes to do]]

Friend RequestsFind Friends • Settings

Monica Alvarez
No mutual friends

Confirm

Delete Request

She looks a lot older than Will thought she would be. Her age definitely makes Will more curious about her.

Monica Alvarez

Hey that was so fun. We should play again.

Of course! I thought you were so much older! How old are you?

I'm still in high school - how old are you?

Don't you know you're not supposed to ask a lady that ;)

Just kidding! I'm 29.

type a message...

That's a lot older than Will - not that he cares too much. She's pretty awesome though.

Will [[messages back->monica_fb_2]] and her answer makes a lot of sense. Will feels good - almost important - that this older woman thought he was mature. He goes through her Facebook pictures as they're talking. She seems really awesome. Over the course of the next month the two play video games here and there, but they actually spend most of their time chatting on Facebook Messenger. Will's not sure if she feels the same way, but he feels like he could tell her anything. He also can't tell if she's being flirtatious or if it's just wishful thinking. That makes it really hard when Will gets [[this message->monica_fb_3]]. What should he do? [[Tell her he doesn't want to stop talking to her]] [[Ask her why]]

Will feels so stupid asking this, but he doesn't really know what to say to her. She seems so cool. He asks her what she likes to do and it's crazy how much they have in common. She likes all the same movies he does and even likes the same music. The two also like to write and make plans to exchange some stories. Over the course of the next month the two play video games here and there, but they actually spend most of their time chatting on Facebook Messenger. Will's not sure if she feels the same way, but he feels like he could tell her anything. He also can't tell if she's being flirtatious or if it's just wishful thinking. That makes it really hard when Will gets [[this message->monica_fb_3]]. What should he do? [[Tell her he doesn't want to stop talking to her]] [[Ask her why]]

Monica Alvarez

Just kidding! I'm 29.

I'm so old :( :(

Nah not at all.No offense, though, but why are you talking to teenagers?

I didn't know you were so young - you're really mature and your voice is deep. I totally thought I was talking to an adult. Why? Don't you like some attention from an older lady ;)

type a message...

Her response makes sense. Plus, she's right. Will does like getting attention from someone older than him.

Monica Alvarez

I think we should stop talking Will.

type a message...

Whoa! Where is this coming from? It's only been about a month, but Will feels like he knows her so well. He doesn't want to stop talking to her.

This doesn't make any sense - he's not just going to stop talking to her. He [[messages her back->monica_fb_5]] and after a short conversation feels immediately better. Will feels so good knowing that she has feelings for him. Still, she seems really paranoid about getting caught. She messages Will telling him that she wants to send him a phone so they can talk and not get caught. Should Will accept the phone? [[Yes->accept phone]] [[no->reject phone]]

This doesn't make any sense - he has to know why she's saying they should stop talking. He [[messages her back->monica-fb]] and after a short conversation feels immediately better. Will feels so good knowing that she has feelings for him. Still, she seems really paranoid about getting caught. She messages Will telling him that she wants to send him a phone so they can talk and not get caught. Should Will accept the phone? [[Yes->accept phone]] [[no->reject phone]]

< Back (419) 555 6040 contacts

Hey Will :) This is Monica. Thanks for telling me your number. I'm glad we can still talk

Message

Send

That was fast! I guess she enjoyed the conversation as much as Will did.

< Back Monica contacts

Will... I'm sorry... We have to stop talking to eachother.

Message

Send

Whoa! Where is this coming from? It's only been about a month, but Will feels like he knows her so well. He doesn't want to stop talking to her.

This doesn't make any sense - he's not just going to stop talking to her. He [[texts her back->text_monica]] and after a short conversation feels immediately better. Will feels so good knowing that she has feelings for him. Still, she seems really paranoid about getting caught. She messages Will telling him that she wants to send him a phone so they can talk and not get caught. Should Will accept the phone? [[Yes->accept phone]] [[no->reject phone]]

This doesn't make any sense - he has to know why she's saying they should stop talking. He [[texts her back->text_monica]] and after a short conversation feels immediately better. Will feels so good knowing that she has feelings for him. Still, she seems really paranoid about getting caught. She messages Will telling him that she wants to send him a phone so they can talk and not get caught. Should Will accept the phone? [[Yes->accept phone]] [[no->reject phone]]

Monica Alvarez

I think we should stop talking Will.

What? Why do you say that? I love talking to you!

I love talking to you too - it's just... I think I have feelings for you.

That's good tho, because I think I have feelings for you too

Do your parents or friends know you're talking to me?

No I haven't told anyone

Let's keep it that way. I don't think they'd understand

type a message...

She has a good point. People might jump to conclusions or freak out. Will vows to keep their relationship a secret.

This seems like a great idea. He agrees, telling her his address. Monica overnights the package and within a day the two are texting in secret. It's right about then that things start to get [[serious]]. Will is really excited to be seeing her in person. The only question is how he should do it. [[Visit her]] [[Have her visit him]]

Taking a phone from Monica seems kind of weird to Will. He tells her he already has a phone. She starts to get pretty pushy and manipulative - telling him how much she's risking and how much she loves him. Will is starting to feel really uncomfortable. He realizes how weird it is for a 29 year old to want to be with a 17 year old. He's also kind of freaked out about how close he let her get. He tells her that she was right - they shouldn't be talking. She counters saying that no one in his life will treat him the way she will. He thinks about it for a moment. Steve, Leslie, his parents - do they really understand him? Is Monica the only person in his life who cares? What should he do? [[Apologize to Monica]] [[Block her]]

< Back Monica contacts

Will... I'm sorry... We have to stop talking to eachother.

What? I'm not gonna stop talking to you. I don't want to. I love talking to you!

I love talking to you too - it's just... I think I have feelings for you.

But that's good tho - because I have feelings for you too

Do your parents or friends know you're talking to me?

No! I haven't told anyone!

Good :) Let's keep it that way. I don't think people would understand what we have.

Message

Send

She has a good point. People might jump to conclusions or freak out. Will vows to keep their relationship a secret.

Monica Alvarez

I think we should stop talking Will.

What? I'm not going to stop talking to you - I don't want to. I love talking to you!

I love talking to you too - it's just... I think I have feelings for you.

That's good tho, because I think I have feelings for you too

Do your parents or friends know you're talking to me?

No I haven't told anyone

Let's keep it that way. I don't think they'd understand

type a message...

She has a good point. People might jump to conclusions or freak out. Will vows to keep their relationship a secret.

Will messages her back apologizing. She's right. she is taking a huge risk - Will kind of forgot about that. Will apologizes and agrees that a secret phone is a good plan. Will tells her his address. Monica overnights the package and within a day the two are texting in secret. It's right about then that things start to get [[serious]]. Will is really excited to be seeing her in person. The only question is how he should do it. [[Visit her]] [[Have her visit him]]

Will doesn't like the way Monica is talking to him. It's almost like a spell is broken in his head. He has friends his own age, he can have a girlfriend his own age. His parents love him. This is a really hard time in his life and Monica seems to be using that to get closer to him. Will tells her not to contact him again and blocks her number. For good measure he blocks her on all the social media accounts he has. Still he feels hurt and even violated. How did he let her get so close? What was her goal? [[The End->fb_end3]]

< Back Monica contacts

Will I need to see you! I can't stop thinking about you!

I know right? I think about you all day

Lets see each other this weekend!

How?

You can take a bus to come see me or I can drive to see you

Message

Send

Wow. In Will's mind this could be really awesome. There's no going back after this, though!

Will wants to see what her life is like - he tells her he'll come visit her. He gets an email moment later - she ordered him a ticket! The two quickly hatch a plan for his visit. He tells his mom and dad that he's spending the night at Steve's house, catches a city bus to the bus station after school, and by the late afternoon he's almost across state lines. The entire trip Will feels nervous. What is she going to be like in person? Is she still going to like him once she sees Will in real life? When he gets off the bus the two find each other. She ushers him towards the car, but Will stops, telling her he has to go to the bathroom. She insists, pushing him to the car. He pulls away and she grabs him. Her sleeve falls back to reveal cuts on her arm. Will looks closer and sees that the cuts form his name. This is too weird. He pulls away from her forcefully. She starts toward him and he yells out for her to leave him alone. The bus station is almost completely quiet after that, everyone turning to look at them. Monica looks around and quickly shuffles out of the station. Will catches a bus back home. Thinking about how weird that entire encounter was. He needs someone's advice. When he gets home, who should he talk to? [[His parents->parents2]] [[His counselor]]

Will wants her to come visit. He tells his mom and dad that he's spending the night at Steve's house and walks to a mall nearby for her to come meet him. After waiting for what felt like hours, Monica walks into the food court of the mall. She ushers him towards the parking lot, but Will stops, telling her he has to go to the bathroom. She insists, pushing him to the car. He pulls away and she grabs him. Her sleeve falls back to reveal cuts on her arm. Will looks closer and sees that the cuts form his name. This is too weird. It's like a spell has broken in his head - everything now seems really inappropriate. He pulls away from her forcefully. She starts toward him and he yells out for her to leave him alone. The food court is almost completely quiet after that, everyone turning to look at them. Monica looks around and quickly shuffles out of the mall. Will catches a ride back home. Thinking about how weird that entire encounter was. He needs someone's advice. When he gets home, who should he talk to? [[His parents->parents2]] [[His counselor]]

He turns his phone off for the weekend and avoids all technology - he's a little scared that Monica will try and contact him. He doesn't know what she wanted with him. He still can't believe she carved his name into her arm. On monday he barges into [[Mrs. Daniels->bio_mrs_daniels]] room. Spilling the details of the last month. Mrs. Daniels is seriously concerned, telling Will that he could have been abducted or murdered. Will lets that sink in. He didn't think anything bad could happen to him. She tells Will that he needs to make a report with the police liaison Will can't believe everything that's happened. How could he have been so irresponsible? [[The End->end]]

Will doesn't know who else to turn to. He needs to go to his parents. When he gets home they're confused as to why he wasn't at Steve's house. Will opens his mouth and the entire tale of the last month floods out. His parents are shocked and concerned, but they don't yell at him or interrupt him. Still, they're disappointed that he made such a reckless decision. They tell him that he has to report this woman to the police. Will's heart sinks. How did he let Monica get so close to him? [[The End->end]]

Because of the decisions you had Will make, he almost got too close to an online predator. Blocking them was a great choice. Most online predators want to meet face-to-face - they are sneaky and manipulative - look back through this pathway for some of the warning signs. Asking for personal information, pushing to meet up in person, and turning you against your friends and family are all red flags. Online predators target young adults between the ages of 14 and 17. There are male and female online predators of all ages who make contact with young adults through social media. It's up to you to use extreme caution when talking to strangers online. Never give our personal information or give in to blackmail - always get help. If time remains, [[return to the beginning->Let's get started!]] and see what would happen if you made different decisions.

Because of the decisions you had Will make, he almost got too close to an online predator. Meeting up with someone from the internet is never a good idea. Most online predators want to meet face-to-face - they are sneaky and manipulative - look back through this pathway for some of the warning signs. Asking for personal information, pushing to meet up in person, and turning you against your friends and family are all red flags. Online predators target young adults between the ages of 14 and 17. There are male and female online predators of all ages who make contact with young adults through social media. It's up to you to use extreme caution when talking to strangers online. Never give our personal information or give in to blackmail - always get help. If time remains, [[return to the beginning->Let's get started!]] and see what would happen if you made different decisions.

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