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When we sit down at the computer, we tend to think of the Internet as a fantasy world.
The Internet has brought great technological advances to both home and business. Many people who would be otherwise housebound have found a whole new world opened up to them via cyberspace. They meet people, make friends and an otherwise dreary existence turns into a world where they can socialize and have fun. Lonely nights and weekends vanish. These times that were once dreaded are now a time to look forward to. No one can see your face or criticize your bad habits. They don't know anything about you except what you tell them, or do they? Business can be conducted much more easily via e-mail. Contracts can be sent by mail and e-mailed back or faxed in seconds. Orders can be placed over the Internet. Websites are used to sell services. Most of these sites say you are giving personal information via a secure site. But are you? Is any site 100% secure? The answer is no! Unfortunately the same Internet that can provide all of these positive things also has a dark side - a very nasty one. Cyber stalkers, pedophiles, con artists and serial killers use the latest technology. Those preying on the young go online to identify youngsters and coax them into meeting them in real life situations. Others terrorize, harass and stalk. On October 15, 1999 Amy Lynn Boyer was 21 years old. She was just starting her life. A young woman who brought sunshine to the lives of others. That evening as she left work, she left her friend and got into her car. Bang! Bang! Bang! Amy was dead - shot by a man she didn't realize existed, nor did her family and friends. Yet this man knew EVERYTHING about Amy and her family. He had been stalking her for six years over the Internet and had even set up a website and kept a diary telling how he was going to kill her. Once Liam had murdered Amy, he turned the gun on himself and died from his injuries. See Amy's full story at http://www.amyboyer.org/ Rachel Miller was happily married for a second time to her husband Kurt. Her first marriage had been one of terrifying domestic abuse. On April 13, 2000 Rachel and her unborn child, Nicolas, was severely beaten and left for dead by her first husband. On April 26, one month and one day before her 30th birthday, Rachel succumbed to her injuries. Bruce Daniels was arrested and convicted of murder. He is now is prison. He was able to find Rachel by tracing her over the Internet. Be sure to visit all of the links on this site. http://www.angelfire.com/nj3/stoptheviol... Please take time to light a candle in Rachel's memory. If you are not overly sensitive to such issues, read Bruce Daniels' confession. The link is on Rachel's site.
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