1. Online Predators National Crime Prevention Council 2007

2. 2 Goal of This Presentation To inform parents of the dangers of online predators and provide tips to keep their children safe while using the Internet and other online services

3. National Crime Prevention Council3 Objectives of This Presentation Inform participants of the latest statistics Become aware of the risks and benefits of the World Wide Web Learn how online predators operate Recognize if your child is a target for an online predator Explore safety tips to share with children when using the Internet or other online services Review resources in this topical area

4. National Crime Prevention Council4 Source: Louis J. Freeh Former Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation “Our children are our nation’s most valuable asset. They represent the bright future of our country and hold our hopes for a better nation. Our children are also the most vulnerable members of society. Protecting our children against the fear of crime and from becoming victims of crime must be a national priority.”

5. National Crime Prevention Council5 Statistics Regarding the Internet

6. National Crime Prevention Council6 Internet Statistics By the end of 2004, there were 420 million pages of (online) pornography. It is believed that the majority of these websites are owned by fewer than 50 companies. Source: LaRue, Jan, “Obscenity and the First Amendment.” Summit on Pornography, Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2322, May 19, 2005

7. National Crime Prevention Council7 Internet Statistics (continued) The U.S. pornography industry generates $12 billion in annual revenue—larger than the combined annual revenues of ABC, NBC, and CBS. Of that, the Internet pornography industry generates $2.5 billion in annual revenue. Source: Family Safe Media; January 10, 2006

8. National Crime Prevention Council8 Statistics Regarding Children and the Internet

9. National Crime Prevention Council9 Statistics Regarding Children and the Internet About 87% of adolescents ages 12–17 use the Internet. There are now approximately 11 million teens who go online every day, compared with 7 million in 2000. Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project, Teens and Technology, July 27, 2005

10. National Crime Prevention Council10 Statistics Regarding Children and the Internet (continued) A survey of 1,000 young people conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, released July 27, 2005, found that A survey of 1,000 young people conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, released July 27, 2005, found that Nine of ten young people have online access, which is up from 75% in 2000. Many teenagers first get access to the Internet at age 10 or 12, many even younger.

11. National Crime Prevention Council11 Statistics Regarding Children and the Internet (continued) A survey of 10- to 17-year-olds revealed that 34% had posted their real names, telephone numbers, home addresses, or the names of their schools online 45% had posted their dates of birth or ages 18% had posted pictures of themselves Source: Janis Wolak, Kimberly Mitchell, and David Finkelhor, Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 2006

12. National Crime Prevention Council12 Statistics Regarding Children and the Internet (continued) 50% of high school students “talk” in chat rooms or use instant messaging with Internet strangers 20% of students in middle school and high school admit they have had face-to-face meetings with someone they first met on the Internet 65% of high school students admit to unsafe, inappropriate, or illegal activities online Source: Market Wire, November 6, 2006; and i-SAFE Inc., December 12, 2006

13. National Crime Prevention Council13 Statistics Regarding Children and the Internet (continued) More than three-quarters of the unwanted exposures to sexual material, solicitation, and approaches (79%) happened at home 9% happened at school 5% happened at friends’ homes 5% happened in other places, including libraries Source: Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Crimes Against Children Research Center, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, December 4, 2006

14. National Crime Prevention Council14 Statistics Regarding Parents

15. National Crime Prevention Council15 Statistics Regarding Parents 80% of parents worry about their kids’ Internet use exposing them to predators 76% of parents say they would like to make the Internet a safer place for kids 83% of parents say there is no excuse for not knowing enough about the Internet to protect your kids or teens 88% of parents think it’s more important to know what their kids are doing online than to respect their kids’ privacy Source: National Attitudinal Poll, Common Sense Media, June 7, 2006

16. National Crime Prevention Council16 Statistics Regarding Parents (continued) Parents don’t know the meanings of some of the most commonly used chat and instant messaging lingo. For example, 57% don’t know LOL (laughing out loud) 68% don’t know BRB (be right back) 92% don’t know A/S/L (age/sex/location) Source: Parents’ Internet Monitoring Study, June 2006, Cox Communications, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and NetSmartz, December 14, 2005

17. National Crime Prevention Council17 Putting It in Perspective Most children are more tech savvy than their parents. Yet many children believe that they can hide behind the anonymity of the Internet. Although the statistics are alarming, there are nationwide efforts to prevent online predators from being successful. Parents can learn how to prevent their children from becoming victims.

18. National Crime Prevention Council18 Risks and Benefits of the World Wide Web

19. National Crime Prevention Council19 Risks and Benefits of the World Wide Web BENEFITS World’s largest library Global outreach Source of entertainment RISKS Children exposed to adult sites Children don’t know what’s reliable and what isn’t Lack of supervision The Internet

20. National Crime Prevention Council20 Risks and Benefits of the World Wide Web (continued) BENEFITS Marketing tool A plethora of Information RISKS Vulnerability to online scams, cybercrimes, and predators Vulnerability to computer viruses The Internet (continued)

21. National Crime Prevention Council21 Risks and Benefits of the World Wide Web (continued) BENEFITS Instant communication with family and friends all over the world RISKS Children can set up private accounts without asking permission Exposure to spam and viruses Using Email

22. National Crime Prevention Council22 Risks and Benefits of the World Wide Web BENEFITS Ease of communication Able to trade information and documents Online education RISKS Vulnerability to hackers Victim of cybercrimes Computer viruses Using Email (continued)

23. National Crime Prevention Council23 Risks and Benefits of the World Wide Web (continued) BENEFITS Children can express themselves, create a personal profile, showcase artwork, videos, and music Allows children with similar interests to connect RISKS Children can post too much personal information Users can pose as someone else Children can post hurtful information about other children (cyberbullying) Social Networking

24. National Crime Prevention Council24 Fact or Fiction?

25. National Crime Prevention Council25 An email sent to a child that contains adult advertising, pornographic pictures and websites, or other inappropriate information is illegal. True or False

26. National Crime Prevention Council26 True or False More than 20,000 pornographic pictures of children are posted on the Internet every week.

27. National Crime Prevention Council27 True or False In the United States today, there are over 400,000 registered sex offenders and law enforcement has the ability to track their whereabouts.

28. National Crime Prevention Council28 True or False In a chat room, PA stands for Pennsylvania.

29. National Crime Prevention Council29 Small Group Activity

30. National Crime Prevention Council30 What Does It Mean? POSPIRP911PAWPALASLMorFSorGLMIRLKPCTDTMIWSNNIFOCGYPOADRWYCMKFYMOOS MOSS or MOTSS NALOPKT CYT or SYT F2FWYRN

31. National Crime Prevention Council31 Where Do Children Connect? Children surf the Internet and send messages from their home computers, friends’ computers, the library, or even school. Children connect at coffee shops or other popular “hotspots” using wireless connections and laptops. Video games that are accessible on the Internet allow children from around the country to compete against each other. Cell phones enable children to surf the web, exchange messages, photos, and short videos.

32. National Crime Prevention Council32 How Do Online Predators Work?

33. National Crime Prevention Council33 The anonymity of the Internet provides a perfect medium for predators to operate. Predators take advantage of this anonymity to build online relationships with inexperienced young people.

34. National Crime Prevention Council34 How Online Predators Work Find victims on the Internet Find children in chat rooms, newsgroups, and via instant messages Pose as other children Listen and sympathize with children’s problems Transmit and exchange child pornography

35. National Crime Prevention Council35 How Online Predators Work (continued) Give children attention, show kindness, give gifts Are familiar with the latest “fads,” such as video games and movies Show sympathy toward children and listen intently to their problems

36. National Crime Prevention Council36 A Predator’s Journal

37. National Crime Prevention Council37 EXAMPLE Lisa uses “TallGirll” as her username in a chatroom, where she receives a nasty message from “BobsOfFun.” Smartly, she ignores it, but BobsOfFun searches the web for other “TallGirll” references. (next slide)

38. National Crime Prevention Council38 He finds that same username in an old posting about handbags on another site, where she gives her email address to another teen interested in a certain brand of purse. The email ends with brooksgirls.edu, leading “BobsOfFun” to a private school site in Denver. A search on the school’s site finds a picture of a fundraiser selling handbags, with a noticeably tall teen named Lisa Hammner in the caption. A search of Hammner in Denver finds one listing, which includes a phone number and street address.

39. National Crime Prevention Council39 How to Recognize If Your Child Is at Risk

40. National Crime Prevention Council40 Examples of At-Risk Behaviors Aggressive computer users New to online activity Actively seeking attention or affection The type to try new, edgy activities in life May feel isolated or lonely Strong curious nature Confused regarding sexual identity Easily tricked by adults

41. National Crime Prevention Council41 How to Recognize If Your Child Is Being Targeted

42. National Crime Prevention Council42 Is Your Child a Target? Does your child spend a great deal of time online? Have you found suspicious information on his or her personal computer or the family computer? Does your child receive phone calls from people you don’t know or make calls to numbers you don’t recognize?

43. National Crime Prevention Council43 Is Your Child a Target? (continued) Has your child received mail, gifts, or packages from someone you don’t know? Has your child withdrawn from the family, from their friends, and become isolated? Does your child quickly turn the computer monitor off or change the screen when you enter the room? Is your child using someone else’s online account?

44. National Crime Prevention Council44 What To Do If Your Child Is Targeted? Save all documentation, including emails, instant messages, chat logs, and website addresses. Check your computer for suspicious files or any type of sexual communication. Monitor your child’s online activity for all live electronic communications.

45. National Crime Prevention Council45 The World of Social Networking

46. National Crime Prevention Council46 Examples of Social Networking Sites Myspace.com—general interests Classmates.com—school, college, work, and the military Reunion.com—locating family and friends Friendster.com—general interests MSN Spaces—blogging, networking, and communities Piczo.com—teenagers

47. National Crime Prevention Council47 Internet Safety Tips

48. National Crime Prevention Council48 Tips for Parents and Guardians: A Guide for Tweens (9- to 12-Year- Olds)

49. National Crime Prevention Council49 Tips for Parents and Guardians: A Guide for Tweens (ages 9 to 12) Communicate with your child about Internet use. Set clear guidelines for your child for safe Internet use. Keep Internet-connected computers in an open area and not in your child’s bedroom. Teach your child never to give out personal information when using email, chat rooms, instant messaging, filling out registration forms, personal profiles, or entering online contests.

50. National Crime Prevention Council50 Tips for Parents and Guardians: A Guide for Tweens (ages 9 to 12) Teach your children not to download programs without your permission. Encourage your children to tell you if something or someone makes them feel uncomfortable or threatened. Talk to your children specifically about online pornography and possible predators. Once a week, review with your children the websites they have visited.

51. National Crime Prevention Council51 Tips for Parents and Guardians: A Guide for Tweens (ages 9 to 12) Insist on having access to your children’s email and instant messaging accounts to make sure they are not talking to strangers. Remind your children not to give passwords to anyone but you. Talk to your children about responsible, ethical, online behavior.

52. National Crime Prevention Council52 Tips for Parents and Guardians: A Guide for Teens (13- to 18-Year-Olds)

53. National Crime Prevention Council53 Tips for Parents and Guardians: A Guide for Teens (ages 13 to 18) Share stories with real examples of teens who have been tricked or hurt because of unsafe online practices. Build an atmosphere of trust and open communication. Establish realistic rules. Reinforce the expectation that parents monitor Internet use and that safety rules must be followed.

54. National Crime Prevention Council54 Instant Messaging Safety Tips for Parents and Guardians to Share With Their Children

55. National Crime Prevention Council55 Tips for Safer Instant Messaging (IM) Tell your children to be careful when creating a screen name. Tell your children never to give out personal information. Your children should only communicate with people who are on their contact or buddy lists. Your children should only have friends join their buddy list, which you should monitor.

56. National Crime Prevention Council56 Tips for Safer Instant Messaging (IM) Your children should never open pictures, download files, or click on links from someone they don’t know. If your children uses a computer in a public place, urge care and safety awareness when logging on. Monitor and limit your child’s use of IM.

57. National Crime Prevention Council57 Tips for Safe Online Social Networking

58. National Crime Prevention Council58 Tips for Socializing Safely Tell your children to think about how different sites work before deciding to join a site. Encourage your children control access to the information they post. Tell your children to keep all vital information to themselves. Make sure your children's screen names do not reveal too much about themselves.

59. National Crime Prevention Council59 Tips for Socializing Safely Online (continued) Have your children post only the information they are comfortable with others seeing and knowing about them. Remind them, once the information is posted, you can’t take it back. Someone can forward this information and millions of people will have access to it. Tell your children not post their picture online. Remind your children to never flirt with strangers online. Source: Federal Trade Commission – www.ftc.gov

60. National Crime Prevention Council60 Chat Room Safety Tips for Children

61. National Crime Prevention Council61 Chat Room Safety Tips for Children Monitor your children’s use of chat rooms. Tell your children that if someone in a chat room makes them feel uncomfortable, they should leave that chat room immediately and tell an adult. Insist that your children never send photos of themselves to anyone they meet in a chat room.

62. National Crime Prevention Council62 Chat Room Safety Tips for Children (continued) Express to your children the importance of never giving out personal information and to never agree to meet a stranger in person. Tell your children to be wary of other chatters who ask to meet in a private chat room. Have them stick to moderated chats. Learn the chat lingo.

63. National Crime Prevention Council63 Questions and Answers

64. National Crime Prevention Council64 Resources

65. National Crime Prevention Council65 Resources National Crime Prevention Council Public service campaign that focuses on cybersecurity and -safety Partners including the Forum to Advance the Mobile Experience (FAME) and the Chief Marketing Office Council (CMO Council) Download tip sheets and the publication Mind What You Do Online and report Internet crimes www.bytecrime.org

66. National Crime Prevention Council66 Resources Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces Created the U.S. Dept. of Justice to help state and local law enforcement agencies investigate and prosecute sexual exploitation of children through the internet. Currently composed of 61 regional Task Force agencies. To find the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force nearest you: To find the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force nearest you: www.icactraining.org

67. National Crime Prevention Council67 Resources

68. National Crime Prevention Council68 Resources National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Information for families, law enforcement, attorneys Amber alert information Training information for law enforcement, attorneys, and prosecutors www.missingkids.com www.cybertipline.com Federal Bureau of Investigation Can report all types of Internet crime Internet safety tips for children www.fbi.gov

69. National Crime Prevention Council69 Resources GetNetWise Provides security information for email, stopping spam, and protecting your computer Tips and tools for keeping your personal information private www.getnetwise.org Safe Kids Tips and tools for children and parents Sample contracts for children and parents www.safekids.com

70. National Crime Prevention Council70 Resources Family Watchdog Free search for a predator in your area List of each state and its laws www.familywatchdog.us/ National Alert Registry Search for a predator in your area www.nationalalertregistry.com NetSmartz Workshop Separate informational pages for parents and guardians, law enforcement, educators, teens, and children Real-life stories www.netsmartz.org

71. National Crime Prevention Council71 Resources NBC’s Dateline: To Catch A Predator Research and undercover operations began in 2004 and continue today in 2007, focusing on the Long Beach, CA area. www.msnbc.msn.com

72. National Crime Prevention Council72 Resources Polly Klaas Foundation Free Internet Safety Kit Resources for law enforcement www.pollyklaas.org Net Lingo Dictionary of commonly used acronyms when emailing, chatting, and blogging Resources for personal and business use www.netlingo.com 24-hour Hotline 1-800-THE-LOST or 1-800-843-5678

73. National Crime Prevention Council73 The National Crime Prevention Council 2345 Crystal Drive Fifth Floor Arlington, VA 22202 202-466-6272 FAX 202-296-1356 www.ncpc.org

74. National Crime Prevention Council74 Presenter Contact Information