In this book, we've detailed chilling true stories of killers that have used the internet to locate, stalk, lure, or exploit their victims.
Who is really on the other end of that Facebook friend request, or behind that dating profile, or posting that item for sale on Craigslist? How can you be safe if you plan to meet up with a stranger you met online? What precautions should you take? Facebook, Craigslist, MySpace, chat rooms, dating sites—it does not matter where you are online; killers are lurking in the shadows. They visit suicide chat rooms, search for escorts on Craigslist, and create fake social media profiles to fool and gain the trust of their victims. Someone you have been talking to for months, or even years, could be a completely different person from what you envisioned.
In July of 2009, twenty-one-year-old Heather Snively logged onto Craigslist in search of used baby clothes and toys. She was eight months pregnant with her first child and so excited to marry her fiancé and start their family. She never imagined the woman she contacted on the site had plans to murder her in cold blood and rip the baby from her womb. In 2010, eighteen-year-old Nona Belomesoff met a young man on Facebook and thought she had made a new friend and connection to her dream job. Little did she know that this man had been studying her every move through social media to gain her trust and ultimately take her life. Stories like this happen every day.
Social Media Monsters: Killers Who Target Victims on the Internet
"As portrayed in Social Media Monsters: Internet Killers, the internet has its risks and every person can be a potential target; either by identity theft, stalking, bullying or even murder. This is a must read for anyone who uses the internet." - (Crime Prevention Services, Toronto Police)
"Both educational and horrific....A real eye-opener!" -- (National Crime Prevention Council)
"[An] exceptional book covering a range of sections, including; internet serial criminals, Law Enforcement and how they snag these criminals, and social media safety. This book will certainly make you more vigilant in your internet activities." - (Crime Magazine)
Parker and Slate lead you on a historical journey of how murderers, rapists, and thieves have always utilized the media to lure innocent victims. Supplying background on the perpetrators, detailing their crimes (from cannibalism to torture), the cases often sound like a bad horror movie ... but this horror is real." -- (Judith A. Yates), Author of "When Nashville Bled" & "The Devil You Know," winner of the 2014 Silver Falchion Award for True Crime