At the bottom of this page are some of my own tips that are not mentioned in any of the articles.
"PROTECTING THE CHILD FROM ONLINE PREDATORS"
The following information is from A Parent's Guide to Internet Safety, a brochure produced by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.
http://www.fbi.gov/library/pguide/pguide.htm
Adults are accustomed to teaching children about "stranger danger". The Internet, as a mirror of society, is no exception to these lessons. This section will help you to determine whether a young person is at risk from an online stalker and what to do if you suspect they are.
What is online stalking?
Online stalking is increasingly in the news these days. Online stalking, also known as cyberstalking, is a form of harassment using Internet technologies. This type of harassment can exist online or it can escalate into a real-world situation. Either way, it is very disturbing. When the victims are young people, we call these stalkers "online predators". An online predator, like any predator, can be any age or sex.
This means that any action that causes a person to "fear for their safety or the safety of anyone known to them" could be considered harassment. Such actions include:
-repeatedly following a person from place to place
-repeatedly communicating with a person, either directly or indirectly
-being watched at home, at work or anywhere else a person happens to be.
-engaging in threatening conduct directed at the person or any member of their family
As with all laws, legislation relating to harassment apply to incidents that take place both in the real world and on the Internet.
PROFILE OF AN ONLINE PREDATOR
Online Predators
-most likely male
-seductive
-introverted
-sadistic
-sexually indiscriminate
-morally indiscriminate
HOW PREDATORS WORK:
Some online predators gradually seduce their targets through the use of attention, affection, kindness, and even gifts. They are often willing to devote considerable amounts of time, money, and energy in this process. They listen to, and empathize with, kids' problems. They will be aware of their latest music, hobbies, and interests. These individuals attempt to lower young people's inhibitions by gradually introducing sexual context and content into their conversations. There are other predators, however, who immediately engage in sexually explicit conversations with children. This more direct attempt may include harassment or stalking. Predators may also be evaluating children they come in contact with online for future face-to-face contact.
HOW KIDS ARE VICTIMIZED:
Children can be victimized by conversation, whether it be in a chat room or via e-mail, or by being shown sexually explicit information and material.
Children, especially adolescents, are often curious about sexuality and sexually explicit material. They may be moving away from the total control of parents and seeking to establish new relationships outside their family. This being the case, some children and adolescents actively seek out sexually explicit materials and strangers with a particular interest in them. Sex offenders targeting children will use and exploit these tendencies. Young teens may also be attracted to and lured by online offender�s closer to their age who, although not technically child molesters, may be dangerous.
HOW TO MINIMIZE THE CHANCES OF YOUR CHILD BECOMING A VICTIM:
-Talk to your children about sexual victimization and potential online dangers.
-Spend time with your children online. Have them teach you about their favorite online destinations.
-Keep the computer with Internet access in a common room in the house - never in your child's bedroom. It is much more difficult for your child to establish a relationship with a predator if the computer screen is visible to a parent or another member of the household.
-If your children are young, steer them away from chat rooms altogether. Older children should only participate in chat rooms you approve of, such as monitored areas.
-If your children are young, share the family e-mail address with them, rather than giving them their own e-mail accounts. As your children get older, they can have their own e-mail address, with their mail still residing in your account. You can retrieve the family's e-mail and ask your children about the mail that's addressed to them. Be aware that your child could be contacted through regular mail, as well.
-Find out what computer safeguards are used at your child's school, the public library, and at the homes of your child's friends. These are all places outside your normal supervision.
-No matter what, your child is not to blame for encounters with online predators. The offender always bears the complete responsibility for his or her actions.
Instruct your children to:
-never download pictures from an unknown source, as there is a good chance they could be sexually explicit images
-choose a genderless screen name and never reveal their age
-follow their family online agreement, or the Media Awareness Network's My Online Rules: (SEE BELOW) post them by the family computer to remind your children to protect their privacy and be safe on the Internet
HOW TO KNOW IF YOUR CHILD IS BEING TARGETED BY AN ONLINE PREDATOR:
Here are some clues that may indicate your child has been targeted by an online predator:
-Your child spends large amounts of time online.
Most children that fall victim to online predators spend large amounts of time online, particularly in chat rooms. They may go online after dinner and on the weekends. They may be kids of working parents who have told them to stay at home after school. They go on the Internet to chat with friends, make new friends, pass time, and sometimes look for sexually explicit information. In such cases, parents should consider monitoring the amount of time spent online, and how this time is spent.
-You find pornography on the family computer.
Pornography is often used in the sexual victimization of children. Sex offenders often supply their potential victims with pornography as a means of opening sexual discussions and for seduction. Child pornography may be used to show the child victim that sex between children and adults is "normal." Parents should be aware of the fact that a child may hide these pornographic files on diskettes, especially if the computer is used by other family members.
-Your child receives phone calls from people you don't know, or is making calls, sometimes long distance, to numbers you don't recognize.
Most online predators want to talk to the children on the telephone. They like to engage in "phone sex" with the children and often seek to set up an actual meeting for real sex.
While a child may be hesitant to give out his/her home phone number, the computer-sex offenders will give out theirs. Some computer-sex offenders have even obtained toll-free 800 numbers, so that their potential victims can call them without their parents finding out. Others will tell the child to call collect. With Caller ID, they can easily find out the child's phone number.
-Your child receives mail, gifts, or packages from someone you don't know.
It is common for offenders to send letters, photographs, and all manner of gifts to their potential victims. Computer-sex offenders have even sent plane tickets in order for the child or teen to travel across the country to meet them.
-Your child or teen turns the computer monitor off or quickly changes the screen on the monitor when you come into the room.
-Your child or teen becomes withdrawn from the family and their friends.
Computer-sex offenders will work very hard at driving a wedge between a child and their family or at exploiting their relationship. They will exaggerate any minor problems at home that the child might have. Children may also become withdrawn after sexual victimization. Also, if children are avoiding their friends or skipping classes, they may be attempting to meet with the predator.
-Your child is using an online account belonging to someone else. Even if you don't subscribe to an Internet service, your child may meet an offender while online at a friend's house or the library. Most computers come pre-loaded with Internet software. Computer-sex offenders will sometimes provide potential victims with a computer account for communications with them.
Some children are particularly vulnerable to online predators. Children who are most at risk may display the following traits:
-new online & unfamiliar with netiquette
-actively seeking attention/affection
-rebellious
-isolated or lonely
-curious
-confused regarding sexual identity
-easily tricked by adults
-allured by subcultures outside of parents' world
WHAT TO DO IF YOU SUSPECT YOUR CHILD IS COMMUNICATING WITH AN ONLINE PREDATOR
Should any of the following situations arise in your household, you should immediately contact your local police:
-your child or anyone in the household has received child pornography
-your child has been sexually solicited by someone.
-your child has received sexually explicit images from someone
-Use these easy tips to find out where your child has been on the Internet (SEE BELOW) and review what has been saved on your child's computer. Pornography or any kind of sexual communication can be a warning sign.
-Monitor your child's access to all types of live electronic communications (i.e., chat rooms, instant messages, etc.), and monitor your child's e-mail. Online predators almost always meet potential victims via chat rooms. After meeting a child online, they will continue to communicate electronically, often via e-mail.
ONLINE RULES
-I will not give out any personal information online without my parents' permission. This includes my name, phone number, address, e-mail, location of my school, my parents' work address/telephone numbers, credit card number information, and my picture.
- When using the Internet, I will always use a pretend name or nickname that doesn't reveal anything about me.
-When creating a password, I will make one up that is hard to guess but easy for me to remember. To avoid having it stolen, I will never reveal it to anyone (except my parents) - not even my best friend.
-I will not respond to any message that makes me uncomfortable. I will show an adult right away.
-I will NOT arrange to meet a friend I have made on the Internet unless one of my parents has been informed and will be present.
-I will not open e-mail, files, links, pictures or games from people that I don't know or trust. I will always ask an adult first.
I will practice responsible online behavior:
-I will not post or send insulting or rude messages or threats to anyone online.
-I will not take words, pictures or sounds from someone else's Web site without their permission.
-I will not disable any filtering software my parents have put on the computer.
-I will not make any online purchases without my parents' permission.
-I will not believe everything I read on the Internet. When doing online research, I will always check the source of the information and confirm it with a parent, teacher or librarian.
TRACKING WHERE KIDS HAVE BEEN ON THE INTERNET
If you want to track where someone has been on the Net, there are several methods at your disposal.
Your Web browser is your main tool for tracking Internet activity. Browsers, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator, are software programs that allow users to view Web sites. When you surf the Internet your browser collects information about the places you visit and stores it on your computer.
This information is easy to find if you know where to look. It is also easy to delete, so be aware that many Web savvy kids do this on a regular basis.
Web Surfing History
Browsers usually keep a history of sites recently visited. For Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE) users, there may be a button on your tool bar that says "History". If this button is not displayed, then someone has probably configured MSIE to not allow browsing of the history files. If you see the History button, them simply click it to view recently visited sites. If you can't find it, go to "Help" and search in the "Index" for "History".
Netscape users can search through the menu items across the top of the computer screen for a selection called "History". If you're using a recent version of Netscape, you will find it in "Communicator" at the top of the screen. Click it, then select "Tools". Choose "history" and a list of Web sites, dates and times will appear. Or, press the "Ctrl" (control) and "H" keys together on your keyboard to view the history.
Using either browser, you double-click on the Web site name in the left column to visit any Web site listed in the history.
Cache files
Browsers also make copies of the Web pages viewed and store them on your computer. This helps the browser load recently viewed pages much quicker than if it had to download the pages all over again every time you visited the Web site. These Web pages are stored on your computer and are called temporary internet files or cache files.
Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE) users will need to find a menu item called "Internet Options". Depending on the version of MSIE you are using, it may be found under the "View" or "Tools" main menu items. Once you have located this menu item and click on it, a box will be displayed with several "tabbed" pages. The tab page you want to use is the "General" page. Click on the button marked "Settings". There, you will see another button marked "View Files". Click on that button and you will see a list of all Web pages that are stored on your computer. You can double-click on any file name in the left column to view it.
If you use Netscape, simply type in "about:global" (without the quotation marks) to get a list of recently cached files.
To find all Web pages stored on your computer, you can use a tool in Windows Explorer called Find. The easiest way to start the Find function is to click anywhere on your desktop (screen) and press the F3 key. Or, you can find it listed in your start menu, if you click the "start" button on your screen.
Choose "Files or Folders".
When the Find box is displayed, select the following options to search for Web pages stored on your computer.
In the "Named:" box type in: *.htm *.html (be sure to put a space between "*.htm" and "*.html")
In the "Look in:" box select: "My Computer" from the drop down list.
Make sure the "Include subfolders" item is checked.
The Find function will return a list of all Internet Web pages stored on your computer. Just double click on the file name in the left column (or icon if the results are displayed in icon format) and you will be able to view the file.
Cookies
A cookie is a file sent to your Web browser by another Web site. Its purpose is to record your activities on that Web site when you visit it, so that next time you return, you can be presented with customized information. Cookies are regularly used by commercial Web sites and "adult" Web sites.
The cookie file resides on your computer, so you can look at it so see where your family has been. Use the Find tool (described above) to look for "cookies.txt" (without the quotation marks). When you find it, click on it. You will see a list of Web site URL's that have placed cookies on your computer.
NOW FOR SOME OF MY SIMPLE WAYS TO FIND PORNOGRAPHY PICTURES, IMAGES AND TEXT FILES ON YOUR CHILD'S COMPUTER:
-Using the "Search" or "Find" function as described above, search for file names ending in ".jpg", ".gif", ".bmp" and ".eml" (include the period but without the quotation marks - .eml is the file ending for saved e-mails from Outlook/Outlook Express).
-You will have to run the "Search"/"Find" process on each file ending. You will find all of the photographs and images stored on the Hard Drive by searching in the "C:\" drive (unless the Hard Drive is identified by another letter).
-After each search is complete, you will see a list of the files/folders containing the photographs/images.
-Click on the "View" section near the top of that window and then click "Details" which will then show the location of each file. Then you can click on each picture/image to see what it is.
-If you find a pornographic image or improper image, you can then right click on the file name (close the picture/image) and then click on properties to find out when the picture/image was downloaded. You already know the folder where it is located so you will have a good idea of "who" downloaded the picture/image.
-You can also use this "Search"/"Find" function to search within files and folders for key words having to do with sexual activity.
I will be adding additional tips in the near future so please come back and visit this page again.
Sincerely,
Lenny Vasbinder, P.I.(Retired)
[email protected]
*-This Site Is Always Being Updated. Please Look At All Of Our New Pages With Interesting Articles, Analysis, Case Samples, Photographic Evidence Samples and Political Opinions!
**-No part of this Analysis, Opinion or Conclusion should be construed as Legal Advice. This is only an example of things that can happen when your child or children are online.
2002, 2003, 2004, 2005-Copyright-Lenny Vasbinder Private Investigator
