Net Crimes & Misdemeanors

Last Monday and Tuesday was spent picking up my Mom to dogsit, then going to Mom2's house so that Bluejacket could pack up what they bought in Dad's workshop. They surprisingly got it all done by noon on Tuesday. I also had a couple of other people who were buying the saws, etc, stop by to pick those up, so it was pretty busy. My Mom visited with Mom2, which was good. I knew this would be an emotional time for Mom2. On Tuesday afternoon, Bluejacket came to my house to pack up what they wanted from Chris' workshop, then one of the other buyers came buy to pick up several pieces of woodworking equipment. The workshop is almost empty downstairs now and I can get my contractor friend in to help design my office down there. I also got the treadmill the way I wanted so that I can use it (and I have been!). Wednesday morning, the car service picked me up for my flights to St. Louis. There was a delay in O'Hare, my connecting flight, but United upgrade me to first class. Rememb...

I'm going to be on Fox 23 in Maine tomorrow morning at 7:20 am. http://fox23me.com/ Check your local listings to see what channel on your cable lineup. Jayne

You can listen to my St. Louis radio interview: KMOX Radio Enjoy!

I am looking for a reliable volunteer who can update the cyberstalking laws pages at http://www.haltabuse.org/resources/laws/index.shtml. If you are interested, look through what we have there. What you will need to do is go to each state's government web site to find out if they have a bill in session, if they are updating a cyberstalking or online law to have more "bite," or if there is a new link to the current law. Many of the links are outdated and there have been states in the news lately who are trying to pass a law or are updating theirs. Your updates, changes and additions need to be in the same exact format as we have on the site right now. Once you go through all 50 states, then I need you to go through countries outside the USA - many have passed laws and we need to keep up with this. I would also want the volunteer who takes this position to begin looking into cyberbullying and online predator laws for the WHOA-KTD web site. We haven't started those pages...

(read the whole story, but here's the pertinent parts) 22-year-old killed after being drawn into Internet deceptions http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--deadlytriangle0120jan20,0,5463808.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork He was an 18-year-old Marine headed to war. She was an attractive young woman sending him off from afar with pictures and lingerie. Or so each one thought. In reality, they were two middle-aged people carrying on an Internet fantasy based on seemingly harmless lies. When a truthful 22-year-old was drawn in, their cyber escape turned deadly. "When you're on the Internet talking, you haven't got a clue who that is on the other end," Erie County Sheriff's Lt. Ron Kenyon said. "You don't have a clue." Montgomery's alleged actions "have impacted everyone else's lives around him for the rest of their lives," observed Internet crime expert J.A. Hitchcock, author of "Net Crimes & Misdemeanors....

I left the house at 5:45 to drop off a DVD at the video store and some mail at the post office, then headed up Route 1 to the Kennebunk Free Library to do an online safety talk and book signing. I drove through Dunkin' Donuts for a cappucinno - it was coooold last night. Got to the library and brought my stash in and met Mamie. She had originally booked me in November, the week after Chris and Dad died and I had to cancel. She gave me a hug and told me she admired me for being so strong to get back to work so quickly. I told her that working kept my mind off of things for a short while and that is a good thing. She took me to the room I'd be speaking in. If you are ever in Kennebunk, Maine, visit this library. It's worth it just to walk around and see the beautiful woodwork, paintings and other things in this historical building. A man was already there while I was setting up. I asked him how he was and he said, "Why do you want to know?" I laughed and said he mu...

I've had a couple of more people come by both workshops to pick up some more of the equipment and more are coming Sunday to the house here to look at and buy more, then come Tuesday to get some more. I even have a high interest in the lathe, the most expensive piece ($1,500 OBO) from two people. So it's first come, first serve, LOL. Tuesday, Bluejacket is packing up both workshops, starting with Dad's first. I'll be meeting them at the workshop there Monday afternoon to go through the logistics, do another walkthrough, etc. I'm picking my Mom up at lunch, because I leave for St. Louis on Wednesday and she can spend time with Mom2, which will be nice for both of them. They like each other a lot. Tuesday morning, my Mom and I will meet Bluejacket at 8 am to get them going with the packup. They have high hopes to be done by noon, then will head over to my house to pick up the things there that they want. I will be so glad to see this done with. Then, when I get back fr...

Chris had gotten his motorcycle loan through the dealership, who uses Chittenden Bank out of Vermont. The interest rate was reasonable and we put enough down so that the payments were about $125/month. When Chris died, my lawyer said to keep making the payments until the life insurance came in, then pay off the loan to get the title. So I did. I get a phone call last week from a woman saying they did not receive the December payment. I doublechecked the payment coupon book from them and my checkbook. I sent the check out on December 15th. I told her holiday mail may have held it up because other checks I sent out at the same time were also arriving late. She suggested I put a stop payment on it. I asked if they were going to pay the $40 fee for that. She said no. I told her I'd rather wait to see if the check got to them. She was pretty pissy about it and said if it didn't come by last Friday, then I would have to pay a late fee on it. I asked her what the payoff amount was on ...

WHO@ Newsletter January 15, 2007 I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .I didn't know they were that hard up (pun intended) More Internet sex please, we're Croatian http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070112/tc_afp/croatiasexinternet A majority of Croatians say they find the Internet to be a useful tool in improving their sex lives, according to a survey. Fifty-eight percent of Croatians who responded to a magazine questionaire said that they had ended up in bed with people they had met while surfing on match-making or pornographic websites. More than 85 percent of Croatians who visit the sites said they had met up with their online friends, said the survey of 2,079 people published in the Drustvena istrazivanja magazine. Sixty-two percent of women and 54 percent of men said they have had sexual relations with people they had met on such websites, it added. According to the study, on average visitors to the websites are 30-year-old singles, have a university degree, and are satis...

(Please forward to anyone you know who may be interested in attending - if you're in the Kennebunk, Maine area - please do come!) WHOA - put a stop to crime http://www.keepmecurrent.com/AandE/story.cfm?storyID=30520 KENNEBUNK (Jan 11): Stop and chat with Internet crime expert and author Jayne Hitchcock Friday, Jan. 19 at Kennebunk Free Library Jayne Hitchcock, founder of the organization Working to Halt Online Abuse (WHOA), will visit the Kennebunk Free Library on Friday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. to discuss her book," Net Crimes & Misdemeanors: Outmaneuvering Spammers, Stalkers, and Con Artists." Hitchcock’s book provides practical, easy-to-follow methods for dealing with spam, viruses, hack attacks, identity theft and other online dangers. Once a victim of a cyberstalker, Hitchcock serves as an advocate for laws to deter cyberstalkers and assists victims. She consults with law enforcement personnel and works with online communities to adopt voluntary policies creating safe ...

Wednesday drove to Concord to have lunch with my mom and sister, but it turns out only my mom showed up. My niece was sick and my sister stayed home. We had a very good lunch and when I got home, caught up on a few things before a friend came over to demonstrate Cutco kitchen knives and accessories. She's just starting out and I was her second "guinea pig." It was funny, because Cutco is located in Olean, NY, where I did talks at some schools last year. She went through her spiel and did a good job. There are these Super Shears that actually cut a penny in half - she demonstrated that. I was *very* impressed. Even though I hadn't planned on buying anything, I have never had a good cheese knife and ordered one of those, as well as a kitchen tool set . I have cheap ones you buy at KMart, etc. These are all guaranteed for life, so I am excited. Thursday I ran around with the dogs on errands, began putting my clothes in the new dresser drawers and general cleaning up. ...

If so, I have a media opportuntity for you. Rachel Clap from Charlotte, North Carolina with WCNC is putting together a story on online dating safety and asked if I knew of anyone in the North Carolina area that had a negative experience with online dating. Her number is (704) 329-3736. She assured me that her station will take all confidentiality precautions the interviewee requests. If you are not in that area, but *did* have a bad online dating experience and would be interested in being interviewed by media, please forward your info to me at netcrimes@netcrimes.net . I'm always getting media requests!

Went to the workshop yesterday to meet with two of the ship model guys. They ended up buying two pieces of the equipment and put dibs on a third, of which I have to get a price on. I contacted the company who made it and they should be getting back to me with something. I began sending out the list of available equipment and my asking prices and already sold four more. If anyone who reads this is in New England and is interested in woodworking equipment (I have everything from band saws to table saws to mini table saws to drills to you name it), email me for the list. I also have photos and you can email me for those if you see something on the list you're interested in. Today it's lunch with my mom and sister, then home to walk the dogs, sit through a demo for a friend who is selling kitchen gadgets and needs the practice, then relax. Oh! Watched "Snakes on a Plane" with my friend, Vivi, last night. We ordered a pizza and laughed our butts of. It's a great, fun ...

Finally, after almost two months of sleeping on an air mattress, I slept on a real bed last night. My bed. Kline's Furniture delivered the new bedroom set yesterday from noon -2 pm. Vivi stayed with me while the delivery guys (two of them) were here. We talked with them and teased them a bit and they were good-natured. The dresser w/mirror was longer than my old one, but fits in well. The wood is called cherry, although it matches the old pine door and window frames of the house - like it was made to be in that bedroom. The armoire is bigger than I thought, too, but the TV fits in it perfectly. The bed is HUGE. King size, like the old one, but being a platform bed with a set of four drawers underneath on one side, it's really high, almost like the beds in the 1800s or so. I had gotten Guin some Doggy Steps and I had to order the additional step. She needs it. The headboard is a bookcase with two lights inside and a drawer, so I don't have to worry about nightstands. That...

WHOA Newsletter January 8, 2007 I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .Psst, wanna buy a bridge, too? World's smallest country up for sale http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070108/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_island For sale: the world's smallest country with its own flag, stamps, currency and passports. Apply to Prince Michael of Sealand if you want to run your own storm-tossed nation -- even if it is just a wartime fort perched on two concrete towers in the North Sea. Built in World War Two as an anti-aircraft base against German bombers, the derelict platform was taken over 40 years ago by retired army major Paddy Roy Bates who went to live there with his family. He declared the platform, perched seven miles off the east coast of England just outside Britain's territorial waters, to be the principality of Sealand. The self-styled Prince Roy adopted a flag, chose a national anthem and minted silver and gold coins as its currency. The family saw off an attempt by the Royal Navy to evi...

Money! Went shopping yesterday and when I went to put the shopping cart back, I saw some greenish pieces of paper scooting on the ground. It was money! I snatched them up - three fives and a one. I wish I'd had someone to high five with! One of Chris' friends bought another guitar last night. I took the dogs on a road trip to Falmouth (all of 45 minutes to drive), saw Arlo, met his son (what a cutie), talked for a bit, then headed back home. It was past Bandit and Guin's dinnertime, so I treated them to half of my t-bone steak. They were very happy doggies. The bedroom furniture is supposed to come today, but it's raining. And when I measured where the dresser w/mirror is to go, the only way it will fit is kitty-korner, it's just too long. So I'm going to call the store to see if there's a shorter dresser and to reschedule the delivery. Oy. It's always something.

I sold both Dad and Chris' workshops - the entire contents minus the machinery yesterday to Bluejacket Inc . It's owned by the husband and wife team of Jeff and Suzi Marger, who brought one of their ship model guys, Al, with them to Dad's workshop yesterday. After going through the workshop, they stressed they wanted to see it stay together and made me an offer I couldn't refuse. We shook on it and Jeff is sending me a bill of sale and a check this coming week. They plan on getting a trailer to bring down from Searsport (a good three hour drive), along with many of their employees, sometime later this month or early February. They can't do it sooner because they have a grandchild due next week and want to spend time with their daughter when the baby is born, which is understandable. Mom2 is relieved and understands the workshop won't be cleaned out right away. I am relieved the damned thing is over with. I have several people interested in the machinery, so I am...

Wow. And I completely forgot to post about this previously. A review of my book, Net Crimes & Misdemeanors 2nd edition appeared in the Seattle Times in November and was reprinted in the Chicago Tribune on December 4th! The pertinent paragraphs are below, but do read the article in full at the first link: Last time I wrote about Internet safety (in a column about MySpace.com), I received an e-mail with helpful suggestions from cybersafety expert Jayne Hitchcock, who has written a book on the topic: "Net Crimes and Misdemeanors: Outsmarting Web Spammers, Stalkers, and Con Artists," Second Edition (CyberAge Books, 2006, $25). The book covers Internet dangers, including online scams, spyware, viruses, identity theft, harassment, phishing, cyberstalking and more. It suggests how to avoid these potential problems, as well as how to repair the damage if your kids, or you, fall victim. The book begins by telling us that, yes, danger lurks on the Internet. Readers soon learn th...

I've had CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) since 1990, when Chris went to Desert Shield/Desert Storm. It was really, really bad in the beginning, where I couldn't even get out of bed. Over the years and finally finding doctors who understood CFS, I'm taking a combination of herbal supplements that ease the symptoms quite a bit. The only time I have a big problem with it is when I am stressed out. After Chris died and the stress of all that and the funeral, I got sick with bronchitis (which I had while I was in Minneapolis, if you read my past posts). I also take naps when the CFS kicks in and sleep later than usual. The stress of the last two days kicked the CFS into high gear. I came home from my dad's yesterday, drank two cups of Chai green tea, took some Airborne, then went to bed at 9 pm. I got up once in the middle of the night to let the dogs out, then crashed until 7:30 this morning. I made myself get up because the dogs had to go out, have their medication (and me ...

Had my friend, Vivi, over for dinner last night. We had a good time, albeit with one troubling phone call, which I won't get into. Making a mountain out of a molehill is not the way to deal with it. Things should be dealt with properly and with thought. I was caught totally by surprise by the phone call, which came from the wrong person. I wish I had been alerted to the situation so that I didn't sound like such an idiot asking what the heck they were talking about. Sigh. Vivi ended up staying over. She read my tarot cards (she's good at it) and we watched some TV, then crashed. Got up this am, let Vivi sleep in a bit, then I had another phone call from the same person that really upset me. I do not like it when accusations are thrown arbitrarily. Drove to my dad's house to have lunch with him and catch up. He made me laugh and told me about a speeding ticket he got last week. Went 37 MPH in a 25 MPH zone. He's 84. We always told him he'd get a ticket one of the...

So, "Anonymous is calling me a lawyer basher. See my response to them. I can't imagine who would post that to my blog. Can't imagine at all.

First, the guy from the monument place called and apologized all over for the mistake in Chris' name on the headstone. I explained to him that as long as it can be fixed, I didn't mind. Then I told him about Chris and "Murphy's Law" and told him it got a laugh out of me. He seemed relieved. Second, I had lunch today with the girl I'd met on the plane on the way home from Minneapolis. She'd been having problems from the cancer surgery she'd had and I helped her and her husband on the plane and when we landed. We've been in touch via email and finally got to catch up with each other today. She looked good - much better than when I saw her. She had had bronchitis after coming home and that on top of the surgery wore her out. We talked for a while, had our lunch, then she bought a copy of my book (I gave her my publisher's discount) and promised she was going to come to my talk/book signing at the Kennebunk Public Library on January 19th. Third, ...

So, I go to Mom2's house to pick her up to go to our favorite store, Wal Mart. I have to pass the cemetery where Chris and Dad are buried on the way to her place and thought I saw the headstone had been put up finally. It slipped my mind when I got to the house - Mom2 was in tears. Two of her friends had called her, one right after the other, that didn't know Chris and Dad had died. So she had to deal with that. I held her and hugged her and we headed for Wal Mart. We both loaded the cart up with things we needed, groceries as well as odds and ends. I love the fact you can go to this Wal Mart and buy a TV and milk if you want. We went through the Burger King drive thru to get a couple of cheeseburgers (bad Mom2 and Jayne). When we went by the cemetery, I told her the headstone was up and could we drive by to look at it. She said sure, so we drove into the cemetery and stopped in front of Chris and Dad's graves. Chris' sister, Debbie, had chosen a sailboat design for the...