Online Predators – from McAfee Social Networking Guide
Online Predators – It’s commonly believed that the Internet is the perfect environment for online predators because it is easy for them to hide their identity, get access to potential victims, and there’s a huge pool of kids to target.
An online predator is a criminal who generally targets teens with the goal of manipulating them into meeting for sex. Online predators typically “groom” their victims by building trust with the child through lying, the use of blackmail and guilt, creating different personas, and then attempting to engage the child in more intimate forms of communication, and eventual in-person meetings.
On social networking sites, online predators can use all these techniques to become friends with your children and try to engage with them. Online predators will also use information from your child’s profile to try and locate them in person. This is why it is critical for you and your kids to talk about appropriate online behavior and what type of information is okay to post online.
If your child becomes a victim of a cyberstalker or an online predator, here are some steps to follow:
1. Take immediate action
• Ignore contact from the bully or online predator or do not log on to the site where it occurred
• Block the offender’s screen name and email address to prevent them from contacting your child
• Change your child’s online information or, if necessary, delete the account
• Contact the site where this occurred to have your child’s information removed, and report the perpetrator
• Report this to your Internet service provider (ISP) and the offender’s ISP.
2. Report the incident to the authorities
3. Save the evidence
• Keep a log of all communications from the perpetrator
• Keep track of the offender’s screen name, email address, and ISP, if available
4. Learn as much as you can about your children’s use
of the Internet
• Find out which services they use and what they like to do online
• Find out about the security features on their favorite websites
• Talk to your children about protecting themselves and being safe online
McAfee Social Networking Guide is avaiable at: http://mcaf.ee/xzq1p
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