“I think you’re hot. I want to get to know you better,” says a stranger. “What’s your name? How old are you? Where do you live?” If a stranger had come up to you and asked you those same questions, would you reply? Now, if a stranger had asked you those same questions online, like for example, Myspace.com, would you or would you not answer those questions?

A vast amount of teenagers and adults today inhabit social networking sites such as the popular Myspace.com and Facebook.com, leaving them susceptible to a world of strange and creepy people. Though Myspace.com provides a “private” feature which protects the user by not allowing strangers to view their websites, those strangers could always become your “friend,” enabling them to view your website.

Many high school students throughout the United States have unfortunately been drawn into the lair of the sexual predators online, and their outcomes are nothing but grim. In 2006, 14-year-old Judy Cajuste of N.J., met up with a man – with whom she connected through Myspace.com – who seemed mature, experienced, and sincerely interested in her seemed like no big deal. She was found the next day, naked and strangled in a dumpster.

Online stalking has also become a new trend among the creepy people around the world, as there was a reported 2,036 cases of cyber-stalking just last year. About 80 percent of the victims were female, and even though a large majority of the stalkers were from old relationships, a good percentage were from complete strangers.

Anti-stalking laws have been created in all states except Maine, due to the public outcry over the death of television actress Rebecca Shaeffer, whose death in 1990 was a result of cyber-stalking. There are also federal laws to prevent stalking victims, like for example, in 42 United States Code (U.S.C) Section 3796 and 42 U.S.C. Section 14031, grants have become authorized for law enforcement agencies to develop programs to reduce stalking and for states to develop local, state, and national databases regarding stalking.

“I think that [cyber-stalking] is really weird and bad. Cyber-stalking is kind of a desperate attempt for attention and you only use it to scare someone, and you’ll only scar them emotionally,” sophomore Natalie Chu said.

Cyber-bullies have also emerged in recent years, and many people both old and young have been affected. Children as young as 9-year-old have reported cases of bullying online, and in the case of a N.J. high school, one student even took the time to post up a “hit list” of fellow students on a website.

Be careful with what you click – you don’t really know what’s out there.