Internet Fraud of the Worst Kind: Cyber Bullying

St. Louis, MOInternet fraud is something we've all either experienced in some way, or live in constant fear of falling victim to. Buying something on eBay, for example, and not getting what we pay for. Clicking on a link that looks legitimate, but instead takes us to some seedy site in some far-flung land. Or having our personal information, innocently shared, exploited.

But cyber bullying is also a form of Internet fraud—and beyond the mean-spirited motivation of a cyber-bullying perp, are the sometimes-tragic consequences.

You don't have to threaten someone on line, to be a cyber bully. No, you can embrace them to your bosom. In a way, that's what happened to Megan Meier, an innocent teen who met who she thought was a dreamy friend on-line. A cyber-friend, who sent her flirtatious messages via MySpace. A 16-year-old boy, who took an interest in her.

She fell for him hook, line and sinker—as many people who 'live' in cyberspace are want to do. You don't have to meet a person, in-person, to be enraptured. The rapture can come from words, as it must have for Megan.

And then, one day in 2006, Megan's Internet friend suddenly dumped her, telling her "the world would be a better place without you."

Megan hanged herself, with a belt, in her bedroom closet. She was just 13.

As tragic as a suicide is, especially of one so young, that tragedy is magnified by the fact that Megan Meier fell victim to a mean-spirited and horrible hoax. A hoax concocted not by another teen, but by someone who was old enough to know better than to stoop to Internet fraud. Lori Drew, 49, of O'Fallon Missouri, conspired with two others to create a fictitious boyfriend for young Megan, a neighbor.

Drew was convicted this week, in a federal court in Los Angeles, of misdemeanor charges related to accessing computers without authorization. It has been reported that Drew's lawyer is still hoping to have the charges dismissed, in what was a landmark trial.
Any appeal that might be launched would have to wait on the opinion from US District Judge George Wu on the potential dismissal of charges. A hearing is scheduled for December 29th.

Drew, meanwhile, could face three years in prison and a fine of $300,000. Meier's mother Tina is pushing for the maximum.

In an ironic twist of fate, the trial was held in California where MySpace has computer servers located. Missouri prosecutors refused to file charges, so prosecutors in California—given that MySpace was the platform for the hoax and had servers there—agreed to bring charges.

It is also worthy to note that the cyber bullying aspect of the case has not been completely vetted. In the trial, it was reported that the jury only dealt with the violations that Drew was guilty of, with regard to the terms of service with her MySpace account. Those terms prohibit the use of bogus names, and harassment of other MySpace members.

As such, the jury never dealt with the cyber bullying issue.

Still, Megan Meier's grieving mom, who has yet to experience closure with regard to her daughter's tragic death, hopes that this case, and the publicity is has generated, will raise awareness of the issue, and the inherent dangers. Tina Meier currently works with WiredSafety.org, an advocacy group helping to protect children from cyber bullying. She hopes that by telling Meier's story, she can help raise the bar on awareness.

"The verdict has made it very clear if you use the Internet as a weapon to hurt others, especially young, vulnerable teens, you're going to have to answer to a jury," Tina said in a recent report by the Associated Press.

"This is not acceptable."