Old Bridge Township Public Schools School

Technology Department

What Should I Do If I Suspect My Child is Communicating

 With a Sexual Predator Online?⁴

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations offers these suggestions:

• Consider talking openly with your child about your suspicions.  Tell them the dangers of computer-sex offenders.

• Review what is on your child's computer.  If you don't know how, ask a friend or co-worker to help you.  Pornography or any kind of sexual communication can be a warning sign.

• Use the Caller ID service to determine who is calling your child.  Most telephone companies that offer Caller ID also offer a service that allows you to block your number from appearing on someone else's Caller ID.  Telephone companies also offer "call blocking" which allows you (for a small monthly fee) to reject or block incoming calls.  This rejection feature prevents computer-sex offenders from calling your home anonymously.

• Most newer telephones allow you to retrieve the CID (call ID) of the last number called.  Most newer telephone also allow you to redial a number.  This can help you track down who is calling your child and who your child is calling.

• Monitor your child's access to all types of "live" electronic communications (chat rooms, instant messages, Internet Relay Chat [IRC]), any monitor your child's e-mail.  Computer-sex offenders almost always meet potential victims via chat rooms.  After meeting a child online, they will continue to communicate electronically often via email.

Should any of the following situations arise in your household, via the Internet or an online service, you should immediately contact your local or state police, the FBI, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children:

1. Your child or anyone in the household has received child pornography.

2. Your child has been sexually solicited by someone who knows that your child is under 18 years of age

3. Your child has received sexually explicit images from someone that knows your child is under 18 years of age.

If one of these scenarios occurs, keep the computer turned off to preserve any evidence for future law enforcement use.  Unless directed to do so by the law enforcement agency, you should not attempt to copy any of the images and/or text found on the computer.

⁴Source:  http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm

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