A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:


1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.

2) The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women whose clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around specifically to cut clothing.

3) They also look for women on their cell phone, searching through their purse, or doing other activities while walking because they are off-guard and can be easily overpowered.


4) Men are most likely to attack & rape in the early morning, between 5:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.


5) The number one place women are abducted from/attacked is grocery store parking lots. Number two: Are office parking lots/garages. Number three: Are public restrooms.


6) The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to another location where they don't have to worry about getting caught.


7) Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.


8) If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming.


9) These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.


Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.

10) Several defense mechanisms he taught us are: If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk: 'I can't believe it is so cold out here,' 'we're in for a bad winter.' Now you' ve seen their face and could identify them in a line-up; you lose appeal as a target.


11) If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell STOP or STAY BACK! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back.
Again, they are looking for an EASY target.

12) If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes), yell I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY andholding it out will be a deterrent.


13) If someone grabs you, you can't beat them with strength but you can by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind,pinch the attacker either under the arm (betwee n the elbow and armpit) OR in the upper inner thigh VERY VERY HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands - the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it - it hurts.


14) After the initial hit, always GO for the GROIN. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it is extremely painful. You might th ink that you'll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble and he's out of there.


15) When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.

16) Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts!!!


You may feel a little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body.. If you are close enough to use it, do!


2. Learned this fr om a tourist guide in New Orleans . If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you....chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!


3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This ha s saved lives.


4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc.)DON'T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.

a. If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF, repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot or parking garage:


A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.

B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.

C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out.

IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)


6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)


7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times. And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, preferably in a zigzag pattern!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympath etic: STOP! It may get you raped or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well-educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked 'for help' into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her 'Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.'

The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, 'We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.' He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night.

Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door for a crying baby ----This
should be taken seriously because the Crying Baby theory was mentioned on America's Most Wanted this past Saturday when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana.

Thanks for the info.

I always try to stay alert when I have to put my baby in his car seat as I feel like a I'm a sitting duck at this time.

Also a tip (which may have been in here, not sure)that I once saw on America's Most Wanted years ago: NEVER, NEVER go to a second location w/a predator, fight all you can because if they can get you to a second location chances of your survival are slim.

I worked for a police department and we had some instructors on Krav Maga show us some self defense moves and they were great. You basically throw your attacker off guard by leaning into them instead of pulling away as you would normally do.

Thanks again for the post.

Thanks for this great information - we can't hear it too many times.

I was followed in a Kohl's parking lot several years ago and was able to call police and give them the guy's license plate number. The 911 operator kept me on the line and said "do not get out of your car - this guy is on parole". Scared me to death - just thinking "what if".

I rarely go anywhere alone - so I rarely go anywhere period. I'm always hyper aware of what's going on around me and unfortunately everyone looks suspicious to me!!

Good advice.

Number one key advice to anyone - be aware of your surroundings. Exits especially.

I was attacked once in a laundry room in my apartment complex. I was new to the neighborhood and didn't know my way around. I finally got away but the guy chased me for several blocks. I was running and carrying a stupid box of Tide! It took me a while to figure out that that stupid box of Tide glowed in the dark! I finally threw it at him and it hit him in the face!

They caught the guy later that night as he was attacking another woman. He had attacked 6 women, I was the only one who didn't get knifed because I got out of the laundry room by the back door he hadn't counted on...

He was convicted and incarcerated.

I have never again been in a laundry room.

You might want to read what the people at Snopes said about this particular email.

Some of the information in that particular email are not quite correct. (like the elbow being the strongest bone...it's actually the knee)

I prefer the "dig the eyes out" method

I never dig for my car keys. I have a dog clip on my key chain and I clip that to my purse stap. The keys can hang inside my purse from there, and I can find and unclip them without looking.

My car also has the fob with locks, trunk and horn buttons, so I can lock and unlock faster. I used the Honk feature once when I had the funny feeling someone was following me through a parking lot.

You can always say "Whoops! That's not the trunk, silly me!" If you're wrong. Whoever was behind me suddenly realized his car was not anywhere near where mine was though.

I questioned that one as I read it too...but I thought the jaw was the number one....a good bite on the cheek should get him into submission...I should have checked that out....overall, it is a very accurate and informed message that has merit.

I've been attacked...by another female (someone was off their meds), and I think the best thing to do is fight for all your worth. Kick, scream, yell as loud as you can, make as much noise as you can, and try to get away as quickly as possible.

I didnt get hurt, other than breaking a nail or two and a few bruises from where I fell down when a guy stepped in to get her off me and accidentally tripped me. Maybe a scratch or two.

My dad, a former Judo student and an occasional instructor (and nurse) told me to go for the eyes with my keys if I can. Try to hit them in the throat, or aim for the groin...this works on women too, if you hit them just right...when I was 12, my sister used to throw me to the floor when she was mad, and she didnt have the discipline for holding her temper in check and not using the Judo my dad was teaching her for attacking people (almost always me). I got her in the groin with my knee once, and apparently it really hurt...and stopped her from "practicing" her Judo on me. Of course, the next time she lost her temper, she changed what Judo hold she'd been using before, and I never got to kick her to get her off of me again.

But, my dad just told me that you fight as hard as you can, any way that you can. Just try to make LOTS of noise and try to draw as much attention as possible. He even said that screaming "FIRE!!" works better than screaming "RAPE!".

Disclaimer: Please take self defense classes and dont rely on everything I've just said to help protect you. If you can, learn from someone who really knows how to fight how to defend yourself