Depression in Cyberspace

The Megan Meier MySpace Incident

Megan Meier was a 13 year old from Missouri who struck up an online friendship on the popular social networking site MySpace with a person she believed was a new boy in her hometown. In actuality, the “friend” was a group of individuals, including adults, who were intent on humiliating the poor girl because of a friendship with another child that had gone awry. Megan was very upset when she found out the truth, then later committed suicide once the friendship had terminated. The horrifying case stunned the community and caused state government officials to pass some of the harshest Cyber bullying laws in the country.

Ashleigh Hall, 17, murdered by peter Chanpman

Ashleigh, a shy 17-year-old who was desperate for a boyfriend, was murdered by serial rapist Peter Chapman, 33, who posed as a teenager online before luring Ashleigh to her death and dumping her body in a ditch.

Adobe Acrobat Upgrade Phishing Scam Emails

Emails purporting to be from Adobe claim that recipients can download an upgraded version of Adobe products by following links in the messages.The emails are not from Adobe. The emails are part of a phishing scam designed to procure credit card and other personal information under false pretences. Links in the emails lead recipients to a website that has no connection whatsoever with the real Adobe website or any Adobe products. The bogus site attempts to entice visitors into registering an account and using a credit card to purchase site "access and support". Recipients should not click on any links included in these spam emails.

Farmville White Gift Box Virus Warning Hoax

Facebook message warns Farmville players not to open a white gift box surrounded by blue lace because it is a virus.The message is a hoax. There are no credible references to a virus or malware threat that has the characteristics of the one described in this message. Versions of the warning have circulated since mid 2010. Reposting this warning will help no one.