"Catfishing" my kid?
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Anonymous
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Someone we know, a classmate of my child's, has been sending messages from a variety of accounts.
He's taunting him and trying to get information from my kid, because this kid knows my kid doesn't trust him. My child has blocked this child. I have contacted the parents. They are not supportive or committed to helping and see it as a "kids are like that" issue. I contacted the parents of the kids from the other account. They are furious. This kid has also pretended to be adults to ask for information. I told the parents to make sure their kid does not contact my child online. They agreed. The next day, it happened again. We can tell it is the same person based on the topics and the tone. I know catfishing is the term for romantic tricks. What about when it is for social reasons? Is it still illegal? Since it is summer and not from school, does this become a legal matter? I'd appreciate links to information or any kind of solidarity. I'm wearing thin. I found a great therapist for my kid when it started, so I'm in good hands there. There are more details, but I don't want to "out" anyone. |
Anonymous
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Your post does not make clear to what degree this child is taunting your son. You don't even tell us the ages of the children! Is the behavior harassment? Is it merely a few unimportant messages? Usually, ignoring unwanted behavior makes it go away. You can contact all parents concerned to remind them about cybersafety - ie, no child should be using another child's account. |
Anonymous
| Our school will handle this type of issue. Online bullying. |
Anonymous
| Your post makes zero sense. The ages of children? What info is the other child trying to get? How is the child getting into other children's account? What social media site is this? |
Anonymous
| Check out my old friend Virginia Code Section 18.2-427. |
Anonymous
| OP, I don't really get it. What kind of information does your kid have that this other kid finds so valuable? How old are these kids? Sounds like this kid is hacking into other peoples accounts? I think if it were me I'd print out every email, text message or whatever and take it to the police station. I'd also encourage the other parents who were hacked to go to the police. This is ridiculous. And yes, I'd let the school know what is happening. |
Anonymous
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does it really matter what info they are asking for? the point is the person is deceitful and trying to access personal information.
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Anonymous
It matters because this is a child and depending on the nature of the info and their age, they might not understand how bad their behavior is. However I suspect OP has no leg to stand on and is making mountains out of molehills. There is no privacy issue in giving a couple of examples. |
Anonymous
| What kind of info is this other kid trying to get? This makes no sense |
Anonymous
I would contact the school and let them know about this issue. For your child, they need to mark any emails asking for personal information as SPAM. If your kid is participating in chatrooms/online forums, talk to them about private and personal information. Even if this other kid wasn't angling for information, probably other people will try this. |
Anonymous
| I don't know about laws but document everything including screen shots , hard copies . Emails asking the parents to put a stop to this. |
Anonymous
| it sounds like cyber bullying. Make sure your son knows to just block people who are bothering him and to ignore the haters- that is the world of the internet, unfortunately. Definitely remind him not to give out ANY personal information, even about activities he's involved in. Agree to documenting things, and not to engage with them. It sucks but as long as some kids feel like they can get a rise out of a peer, they will persist. It's too bad the parents won't get involved. Unless it's in a school setting, often schools hands are tied as well. |
Anonymous
This. Your kid is getting cyber-bullied. The school district won't do anything without proof. |
Anonymous
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So this kid is using other kids' accounts and impersonating them? with their permission?
How is this child impersonating adults? Screenshots should be taken and those adults should be told their names are being used. They should investigate the source. I guess I don't understand what proprietary info your child has that is so valuable. |
Anonymous
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Not surprising that OP hasn't come back to give details. |