Cyber Predators

Fighting Against the New Age of Stalkers Imagine being a mother or father who is at home and suddenly the phone rings. It’s the police, they believe your son or daughter has been chatting with an internet predator. He/She went to meet him/her and was kidnapped. The police are tracking the suspect, but have no idea if their children is still alive. In today’s sick and twisted world these occurrences are becoming more and more frequent. Some parents and children don’t realize that with the power of the internet in millions of households, comes great responsibility. These websites have become a playground for cyber stalkers. Cyber predators can find easy prey on today’s internet, but with kids gaining more internet knowledge, computer security devices, and crime task units progress can start being made in stopping this ongoing problem.  One of the best ways to keep children safe is by parents sitting down with their kids and informing them with some safety precautions to protect themselves and to not let their information get into the wrong hands. Each day there are nearly 750 million daily readers and authorities believe that anywhere between 500,000 to 750,000 are cyber stalkers (Zandt 1). Two of the most dangerous places where these cyber predators lurk are blog diaries and social networks(Zandt 1). In most cases the assailant tends to be male, but women are often their accomplice. These cyber predators are not easy to spot. They often are people with a steady incomes and even a college education. They own computer equipment and have knowledge on how the internet and these networks work(Obringer 1). Parents “…need to teach children that the Internet is like a very large city. There are lots of good things, some bad things, and a few very bad people.”(Miller 67). Cyber stalkers usually start by using techniques to help them find a single target. They will search through profiles or even create their own profile with the intent to lure

Cited: Abbott Greg, Texas Attorney General and Office of the Attorney General..”Internet Child Predators.” FDCH Congressive Testimony. Mas - Ultra School Edition. 14 February 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com. Newell High school Library Kornblum, Janet. “Online predators less prevalent.” USA Today. Mas Ultra - School Edition. 14 February 2007.http://search.ebscohost.com. Newell High school Library Obringer, Ann. “Cyber Safety > Cyber Predators” (2006) February 14, 2007. http://www.wright.edu/ ~obringer.5/predators/prdtrs.htm Newell High school Library Miller, Michael J. “Warning Children About Online Dangers.” PC Magazine (2006): 67-67. Mas Ultra - School Edition. 14 February 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com, Newell High school Library By: Garrett Bruner Zandt, Clint V. “Beware of cyber stalkers.” (2006) February 14, 2007 http://www.msnbc.msn.com Newell High school Library