Dilemma. What would you do?

[daydream**believer]

Ok, this is quite a long story. I hope it makes sense. **Real names have not been used**

On the weekend, my daughter came to me  and said "Mum, theres something odd going on with some of my friends that i want to talk to you about cause im a bit worried"

She tells me that 3 of her friends (lets call them Tom, Jim and Sue) have made friends on facebook with a boy (lets call him John) they dont know who lives in Newcastle. Tom, Jim and Sue live in Adelaide.

Tom became friends with John first by receiving an out of the blue friend request from him.

John claims to be a 16 year old boy. His facebook page has lots of photos of him with heaps of friends. He's quite a good looking kid.

Tom think John is so cool and, via facebook, introduces him to Jim and Sue.

John strikes up quite a friendship with Sue and last week asked her to be his girlfriend. Sue is completely infatuated with John.

John has now said that his dad is going to bring him to Adelaide in a couple of weeks to meet Tom, Jim and Sue.

He has even said that a great place for them to all meet up would be the local swimming pool.

None of this sits right with me. Why a kid in Newcastle (a popular, good looking one according to his facebook page) would need to make friends with strangers in Adelaide. Would want one of them to be his girlfriend and then get his dad to bring him all the way over here to meet them.

Im not sure if you are all aware of the of the Carly Ryan story, but it is making me quite nervous about whats going on.

Carly Ryan- http://au.news.yahoo.com/today-tonight/lifestyle/article/-/7013312/internet-predators/

I know Jim's mother quite well and am going to talk to her about it all tomorrow. I know she has no idea who Jim talks to on facebook.

Im wondering, should i go to the police? They could at least investigate if John is real. I thought about going to the school, but all they would do is give a talk about internet predators and the kids would ignore it.

Over the weekend, my daughter tried to talk to Tom and Jim about the risks but they just didnt get it. They think John is so cool.

The whole "better to be safe than sorry" phrase keeps popping in my head.

Oh, and by the way, John's last name on facebook in Smith

[happyroo_bunji]

I am pleased the police have taken it seriously, and that they are being proactive in trying to prevent any repeat

[lurker17260]

ok, so i talked to the other mother and she had a few extra things to add to the drama. Things she thought were pretty innocent but now, after thinking about it, dont sit right.

She supported me in going to the police but couldnt go with me as she had to go to work.

So, then i went to the police station and spoke with two officers who are part of the Childhood Protection Department.

I also knew the two officers as they are liaisons at my kids school.

With them, I also had a meeting with the school councillor.

I told them and wrote down everything i knew and they all agreed that it didnt sound right.

The police will investigate John Smith and they will also orgainse a seminar at the school to talk about internet predators.

They were all very, very proud of my daughter

Well done.  Good on you and your daughter.  You may have just made the world a lightly safer place.

[*crikey*mate*]

Thanks DDB 🙂

Because of yours and your daughter's vigilance and actions, there just might be a few more kids who are kept safe in this crazy mixed up world.

[azureline**]

Good result and might I suggest your daughter does not be told the police are involved? or she does not tell her friends in case it causes some problems at school for her.

[daydream**believer]

she knows i was going to the police today but she is not going to talk about it at school.

[daydream**believer]

Wow

Just flicked over to the end of Dr Phil and i dont know what the whole show was about but this is what his last words were:

"I would rather investigate a thousand situations where nothing is wrong, then fail to investigate a situation where something is wrong"

[*crikey*mate*]

Yep - that's what the ambo's used to say to me.

My eldest used to have seizures all the time from when he was a baby, but no one could work out why for years - so we were told to call the ambo's every time, because we never knew how long they would last and sometimes he would stop breathing - but 95% of the time, by the time the ambo's got there the kid was sitting up in bed as if nothing had happened, as right as rain, and I'd be so embarrassed to have wasted their time - but they always reassured me - they'd rather be called out and find him all good, rather than me hesitate or not ring at all.

[happyroo_bunji]

Wow

Just flicked over to the end of Dr Phil and i dont know what the whole show was about but this is what his last words were:

"I would rather investigate a thousand situations where nothing is wrong, then fail to investigate a situation where something is wrong"

It was about young girls being kidnapped and held in dungeons in the US.

[happyroo_bunji]

http://drphil.com/shows/show/1956/

[darksideofthemoon]

Top marks to your daughter Amy... she's got good instincts..

Anyone calling himself John Smith would be sus to me 🙂