NCAC and McGruff SafeGuard Partner to Protect Our Scouts Online

The National Capital Area Council (NCAC) of the Boy Scouts of America has announced a partnership with McGruff® SafeGuard, a free service for parents to monitor and safeguard their kids' online activities. The service is the first and only service to electronically connect parents with law enforcement in their common battle against sexual predators on the Internet.

"We are excited to partner with the National Capital Area Council," said Marty Schultz, Chief Safety Officer of McGruff SafeGuard. "With McGruff SafeGuard available for free, every parent will now have a tool to protect their Scouts online."

McGruff SafeGuard has been tested in homes since 2006, and during that time parents have detected and prevented Internet predators from taking advantage of their children through sexual assault, teen drug abuse, and other crimes. The product is credited with preventing suicide of child victims of Internet abuse.

Parents can sign up for the free service www.gomcgruff.com

"The National Capital Area Council prides itself in teaching Scouts the skills they need to stay safe," said Alan Lambert, Scout Executive for the NCAC.  "We chose to partner with McGruff SafeGuard because we want to help families protect their children online."

If a parent discovers an Internet predator, McGruff SafeGuard reports the suspected predator to law enforcement.  At the same time, the software blocks that alleged predator from communicating with the child again or with any children protected by the McGruff SafeGuard service. McGruff SafeGuard is a licensed product of the National Crime Prevention Council, the nonprofit leader in crime prevention education and home of McGruff the Crime Dog.

McGruff SafeGuard is a simple, free service designed to help parents manage their kids' increasingly dangerous online activity. The service monitors dangerous chat and instant messaging including MySpace, Facebook, AOL, MSN, and Yahoo. The service allows parents to conveniently review their kids' activities using a secure website, or to be notified of potentially dangerous situations via cell phone and email alerts.  McGruff SafeGuard alerts parents to dangerous behavior, such as Internet predators, sexual abuse, drug use, or criminal activity, and provides helpful advice to parents on how to deal with certain issues.