Predation \ 1: The act of preying or plundering. 2: A mode of life in which food is primarily obtained by killing and consuming animals - pred-a-tor

Predatory \ 1: of or relating to plunder. 2: disposed to exploit others.

So many meanings for a word that can wreak havoc in life or even lead to death. Once upon a time predators had faces and identities. Even though they practiced stealth they would eventually expose themselves and those around them would discover their true nature. Their damage was usually limited to their immediate area and once discovered, they either moved on or faced the consequences.

Today, thanks to the World Wide Web, we face the most dangerous predator of them all, the Cyber Predator. The cyber predator can take on any identity they chose. They can be from anywhere in the world and can reach you with just a few keystrokes. They move quickly and with intent. Their goals are varied but the end result is always the same - someone will get hurt. Even if you take all precautions possible, there is someone who can break through your defenses, they just have to want to badly enough.

These days you can't enter a chat room or view a message board without witnessing the message. "I'm in love and we are going to get married, but we haven't met yet" or something just as frightening. And before I go any further let me just clarify that I do realize there are thousands of relationships out there that started on the internet and are blossoming and believe me, I am not talking about those relationships.

The intentions of the cyber predator are varied. Some do it just for the challenge, to see whom they can reel in with their promises. Some are looking for sexual favors and will say just about anything to get what they want. Others are looking for a way to immigrate to another country and figure marrying in is the best way. And some want to hurt you, badly, to take from you your self-respect, your monetary worth or even your life.

Almost daily you can turn on the TV and see on one talk show or news program after another the sad tales of those individuals who trusted the wrong person. There was a woman in Chicago a few years ago who had been chatting with a gentleman on the net for months. One day he showed up at her home for a visit. She let him in and they started a sexual relationship. He stayed for a week before she started having serious doubts and finally asked him to leave. He agreed without complaint. As she was helping him pack his bag to take him to the airport he attacked her with a hammer and beat her severely, stole her car and credit cards and left her for dead. If she hadn't lived he probably would have gotten away with his crime. No one in Chicago knew him; she had mentioned him to no one in particular. Luckily, she managed to pull through and he is now serving a life sentence.

I could go on for hours with examples but instead I would like to share a personal experience. I met a man on the net who swept me off my feet. He was everything I had hoped and prayed for my entire life. He was from Ireland but that was something we would overcome. We got engaged the second day we were in each other's physical presence (after talking for 6 months). Everything seemed so right. My friends and family all met him and loved him. They said they had never seen a man so in love with a woman. Then I quit one of my jobs. I just couldn't handle the stress. Suddenly, things started to change. My warm and loving fiance was distant and aloof. Why? Because he had wanted to move here and even if we were married, I had to make a minimum amount of money every year in order to sponsor him. I no longer met the quota, and suddenly, he was no longer in love. The total amount of time we were together was 1 year and 4 months. In other words, 16 months of my life were wasted.