Internet+Predators

[|Watch "Predator Techniques" with Agent Odejko]

The one thing we love about the internet is also the one thing that causes the most problems for us - its anonymity. Internet predators easily prey on people (and I say people because it can happen easily to children, adolescents, and adults) because they are essentially anonymous while online. While police enforcement has put a lot of man hours into helping to keep you safe, it is important to take precautions to protect yourself.
 * Internet Predators Intro**

It would be easy to say that you should protect yourself before the preying begins; however, a downside to protecting yourself against internet predators is that often a person does not know they are being preyed on until it is too late. So, your job is to educate yourself beforehand so that you can easily identify the assault and hopefully lead the proper authorities to the assailant.

The primary place a child is targeted is in a chatroom (Online Risk). The next step for a predator is to try to lure the child into contact outside of the chatroom, i.e. email, instant messenger, or cell phone, where the predator will try to get more personal. Netsmartz refers to this act as "grooming" in their "Online Risk" article. The predator may try to get more information and/or try to engage the child into a more intimate meeting. Often what makes children and adolescents a better target is inherent in their nature - children and adolescents tend to be more trusting and have a "strong desire for attention, validation, and affection" (Online Risk). As with cyberbullying and traditional bullying, you may feel compelled to keep the abuse a secret; however, informing a trusted adult about the situation will keep you and perhaps other children/adolescents safe from an internet predator.

Umberto Hernandez openly elicited and contacted a 14-year-old girl in the Los Angeles area. He understood that she was 14 and she understood that he was 30 years old. Hernandez found the 14-year-old on the Yahoo! Personal Ads and messaged her. The girl, originally from Idaho, came to visit her father for the holidays. Hernandez convinced the young girl to meet him and then sexually assaulted her. Upon returning home to Idaho, the girl told school officials about the attack and the LAPD set up a sting operation to catch Hernandez in the act. The police messaged Hernandez, acting as the 14-year-old, and had him meet the "girl" at her father's house again. When he showed up, the LAPD caught him and charged him with the prior assault and attempted assault.
 * Example of Real-Life Internet Predator**

What went wrong? There are several things that could have prevented this situation from happening. First, the young girl should not have entered her private information on the internet and should not have allowed a stranger to come to her father's home. Second, her parents did not know what she was doing on the internet, which included setting up a Yahoo! Personal Ad and forming an online relationship with an older man. However, as unfortunate as the event turned out to be for all involved, without the mistakes of the parties involved, Hernandez might not have ever been caught and may have continued to hurt others in the future.

The Moral: Children/Adolescents need to protect themselves by being informed of what is safe and what is not safe on the internet. Parents need to be more involved in their children's internet usage and ask questions constantly! Anyone close to someone who might be involved in inappropriate activity online should help that person come forward and get any necessary help with the situation.

HW Activity: Research one of the [|cases] further using Wikepedia or another online source.

FOR PARENTS: [|Watch this clip for how to help at home!]

References Wikepedia. (2008). Online predators. Retrieved June 25, 2008 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_predator. i-Safe, Inc. (2008). //i-Safe: the leader in e-safety education//. Retreived June 26, 2008 from [|http://www.isafe.org/   Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. (2008). LA: Protecting Our Kids. Retrieved on June 27, 2007 from http://da.co.la.ca.us/pok/realcases.htm. City of Los Angeles. (2001). Child molestation suspect caught. Retrieved on June 27, 2008 from http://www.lapdonline.org/march_2001/news_view/23166. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. (2007). Online risks. Retrieved on June 26, 2008 from http://www.netsmartz.org/safety/risks.htm. Suite101.com Media Inc. (2008). Internet predators. Retrieved on June 27, 2008 from http://educationalissues.suite101.com/article.cfm/internet_predators.