Five Men Charged in Internet Predator Sting
Friday, July 31, 2009
As disturbing as this is to hear, I am grateful for the undercover officers who are doing what they can to catch predators who attempt to prey upon children. The following excerpt was taken from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and was written by Amy McConnell Schaarsmith on July 22, 2009.
Five Internet predators from Western and Central Pennsylvania have been arrested and charged with felonies for sexually propositioning undercover agents they thought were 13- and 14-year-old girls, according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett.
The men were identified as Lahbib Hannoune, 30, of Glenshaw; Joseph Duane Tyger, 46, of Commodore, Indiana County; Nityanand Gopalika, 30, of State College, Centre County; Dominic J. Galliani, 44, Uniontown, Fayette County; and Harlan Gene King, 26, of Confluence, Somerset County. The men's arrests bring the number of arrests of online predators by the attorney general's child predator unit to 49 in 2009, a 40 percent increase in the number of cases compared to last year.
In all five cases, the attorney general's office said, the men approached undercover officers in Internet chat rooms and quickly steered the conversations toward sexual topics, including graphic descriptions of the sex acts in which they wanted to engage. Mr. Hannoune, Mr. Gopalika and Mr. Galliani also sent the "girls" webcam videos of themselves that showed them nude and masturbating. Mr. Tyger, Mr. Gopalika and Mr. King traveled to a predetermined meeting location in Cranberry to meet the "girls."
Now, let’s pretend these posing teenagers were not posing at all. What if for whatever reason, these girls felt compelled to meet these strangers. Who knows what could have happened. It is scary to imagine that this goes on daily, and it is scary to know that this number is only increasing.
Now, more than ever, it is imperative to teach our children about Internet safety. I challenge you to learn for yourself what is happening online. Together, with McGruff Safeguard, we can monitor what is happening with your kids when you don’t get the chance to. McGruff Safeguard was created to keep children safe online. Together, we can make a difference in our loved one’s lives.
Read more on this story: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09203/985468-455.stm?cmpid=news.xml#ixzz0MqPsI3V9Labels: internet safety, online parenting, Pittsburgh, predators, sting
posted by Lindsay Manfredi at 6:56 AM Link to this Article
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Do You Speak Chat? Your Kids Do.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
We recently reported on the tragic story of airman Christopher Stevens sexual solicitation of a minor. The sad fact is that, had the parents been monitoring their daughter's online activity, the event may have been averted. Or could it?
The advent of rapid textual communication like chat, IM, and now Twitter has evolved an entirely new language, or subset of the English language, that children are far more fluent in than adults. Do you speak chat? Would the parents of the victim have been able to identify the danger looming from the jargon they might have read?
I'm sure we all know a little. You'd have to live under a rock not to understand LOL. But what about the slightly more vulgar LMAO? If you could translate that, you might not even want your kids to read the profanity I just posted. But if you're scratching your head over it, then there could be an entire code language that totally eludes your ability to supervise.
OMG i think i <3 u... LMIRL
If you can decipher, great. If you can't, start studying. McGruff SafeGuard has a free "Kidsaurus" that is an expansive dictionary to acronyms such as these, as well as emoticons (smiley faces) that have significant meaning as well.Labels: acronyms, kidsaurus, McGruff Safeguard, monitoring
posted by Nick Carter at 10:48 AM Link to this Article
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Air Force Airman Caught Soliciting a Minor
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Internet safety took another blow this summer as US Airforce airman Christopher Stevens has been charged with child enticement to engage in sexual activity. The story's details are so frighteningly unassuming, parents shudder to think how this can happen so easily on social media sites intended for harmless fun. But it did. And the quiet town of Stow, MA, will never forget how deep such danger can strike.
Police say the solicitation began on Facebook. In a community where "friends" are easy to find and engage, Stevens began sending messages of a sexual nature to the young girl, only fourteen years old. Based on the content of the messages, it was no misunderstanding that Stevens was interacting with an underage girl. The pursuit continued nonetheless.
When parents reported their daughter missing at 11:00 PM one Friday night in June, the police were fortunate to find a cell phone left behind. It contained text messages with explicit sexual content and exact locations of their rendezvous. "Had we not found her, we don't know how troubling this could have been." commented District Attorney Gerry Leone.
The communication had begun on Facebook, and online communication continued for months before finally leading to the dreaded LMIRL ("Lets Meet in Real Life"). But investigators say it could have been avoided. The content of the messages made it painfully obvious that Stevens was soliciting a minor. But, left to develop without supervision, this secret online relationship quickly grew out of hand.
At McGruff SafeGuard, it's these tragedies which are so preventable which give us passion for what we do. Parenting children online requires the same boundaries and supervision as parenting children offline. We invite parents to become a "fan" of McGruff Safeguard: Take a Bite Out of Internet Danger on Facebook. Share your thoughts, concerns, and questions with us. Let's work together to make the internet a safer community for kids.Labels: Facebook, internet safety, monitoring, online parenting
posted by Nick Carter at 9:26 AM Link to this Article
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A Cry For Help
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
A Cry For Help
Growing up is tough. When I was a teenager in the 90’s, I know how difficult it was then. I can’t imagine the pressures that teenagers have to deal with today. I know there are the classics…love, betrayal of friends, sex, alcohol, drugs. It’s crazy. And I think it’s easy as adults to forget these things. This is not because we want to be out of touch, we’ve just grown up and dealt with life on many levels and sometimes expect our kids to magically get it.
I was talking to an acquaintance from a local college. She is in her 50’s and has a teenage nephew. Her nephew has good parents and comes from a fairly solid background. He hasn’t been through anything traumatic, and he’s pretty smart. However, he’s also pretty cocky, has a temper, and has gotten caught up with some lost kids.
My friend, Mary, was concerned on many levels. She knew he occasionally used drugs, abused alcohol, and was sexually active. Mary started following him pretty closely on Facebook. Facebook has a feature in it that allows you to “share” your thoughts with all your friends. For example, I have poison ivy right now, so my status says, “I think I have poison ivy! Help!” The point is, folks see what you post on your status and can respond.
Mary noticed her nephew posting some disturbing thoughts. He would post things that sent a message, in her eyes, that he was depressed and issues needed to be addressed. Knowing something wasn’t right, Mary took this opportunity to reach out to her teenage nephew. She took him out to lunch, got real with him, and he opened up to her. She was so thankful she did because he had been contemplating suicide, was not in a good state of mind, and accepted the love that his Aunt extended. Mary got that he was hurting and actively listened and helped him sort through what was going on.
It’s not always this easy. Kids cry out for help all the time. Sometimes it is difficult to recognize these cries. Are you ever concerned about what your kids are going through? Do you ever wonder what issues to actually address that could open up an honest discussion? Perhaps if you knew what was truly going on in their head, it would make it easier. McGruff Safeguard was designed as a tool to help us understand what is going on when the “cry” isn’t always obvious. Help us help you protect your loved ones. Labels: alone, depression, help, McGruff Safeguard, teenagers
posted by Lindsay Manfredi at 12:25 PM Link to this Article
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True Stories: "My daughter was experimenting with marijuana..."
Thursday, July 23, 2009
We hear stories everyday about the dangers children face online, the parents whose fears became reality, and the sad impact these events can have on families across America. But, through our partnership with the NCPC to provide McGruff SafeGuard for free to parents who need to protect their children, we also get to hear stories of encouragement, stories of parents who know they've protected their child and secured their future.
I'd like to share some of these stories on the blog from time to time. "True Stories" is a blog series of real families whose lives have been impacted by McGruff SafeGuard and the NCPC's efforts.
"The service has been a valuable tool for me for the past couple of months. I am the mother of two teenage girls, 13 and 16. The world is a scary place...so many dangers. Kids today don't realize how dangerous their choices and the influence of friends can be. They are invincible. Nothing can happen to them...after all.."everybody else does it."
My oldest daughter had been experimenting with marijuana. I caught her just in time. With The service on my computer and constant vigilance I have been able to monitor where her head is at and what she is up to. I have also been able to monitor where her friends' heads are and what they are up to. I have realized which friends I need to keep her away from. I caught my daughter taking a stroll down the wrong path just in the nick of time. The service has played a big role in helping me get her back on the right path and keeping her there. I would recommend this product to anyone." If you have a similar story, or would like to share your experience parenting your children on the Internet, please feel free to leave a comment here. We can't get enough encouraging stories.Labels: internet safety, True Stories
posted by Nick Carter at 6:43 AM Link to this Article
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Photos and Internet Safety
I have been speaking to parents lately who differ so vastly in their views of Internet safety. This scares to me to a degree. Here is why. I have quite a few friends on Facebook and I am friends with their kids as well. Facebook is one of the world’s largest social networking sites. There are more than 250 million active users on Facebook, and 120 million of those users visit the site at least once a day. (I am included.) Something that has raised concern with many parents are photos. There are millions of photos on Facebook.
Kids now have cameras on their phones, some have them on their computers, and there is also your regular digital camera that allows you to instantaneously upload photos online. Photos that may be 'harmless' in a teenagers eye could be a playground of eye candy for some audiences, and that's not good.
Facebook also has an application called ‘Bumper Stickers.’ This is an area full of stickers or ‘photos’ that your child can post to their profile page. The stickers chosen usually tell a lot about the personality of the child and what they are ‘into.’ I kind of freaked out over some of the bumper stickers that our kids can choose from. And unless we are on these sites, we don’t really know what they are exposed to. I was shocked to see how easy it is for our kids to see inappropriate photos online.
Now, to a degree, this is not Facebook’s fault. Anyone can upload a bumper sticker and it may be a day or two before Facebook becomes aware of inappropriate stickers and take them down. Facebook also allows you to report inappropriate stickers if you see something before they do.
Now, some parents may just think the solution to this would be to keep them off the site altogether. And though we may be tempted, do we really want to keep our kids in a closet? Okay, perhaps ;-), but is it really HEALTHY to keep them in a closet? One of the most difficult challenges in life can be finding that “democratic” balance. The most successful stories I’ve come across are those parents who have good communication with their kids and also participate in Internet monitoring.
When your child or teenager is given the opportunity to use this, or any other social networking site, it may be a good idea to have a conversation with them about the photos. I would suggest monitoring the photos they post as well as monitor their friends’ photos. If there is something you find that could be a little risque or something you are not comfortable with, have your child take it down. This could also apply to the bumper stickers.
I find sometimes that it is better to hang closer to the ‘safe’ side versus the ‘it’s harmless’ side.
The Internet is definitely a dangerous place, but at the same time, it is also a world of knowledge. I can’t stress how important it is to educate our kids on Internet safety.
Have you ever had to have any conversations with your kids about photos? Please share them.Labels: Facebook, internet safety, monitoring, photos
posted by Lindsay Manfredi at 4:49 AM Link to this Article
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Adolescent Web Awareness Requires Education (AWARE) Act
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Congressman John Culberson (R-TX) are sponsoring the Adolescent Web Awareness Requires Education Act (AWARE Act). This bipartisan legislation would provide funding to programs that educate children on Internet safety, behavior, and security. I couldn't agree more with Congressman Culberson's comments on the underlying premise of the act:
"The way to meet the challenges and opportunities the Internet presents isn't to deny our children access to this great resource but to empower them to use it wisely. Just as we make sure our children know not to talk to strangers, not to bully kids on the playground, and not to provide personal information, we have the same responsibility to teach them to apply these values online." So, what are the details? The bill, if approved, would establish funding for grants made available to state and local education agencies and non-profit organizations. These grants will be competitively awarded for programs that promote Internet safety for children. A proposed $125 million in grants over five years would be administered jointly by the Departments of Justice and of Education.
This means that, instead of barring children from the potential hazards of the Internet, we will encourage education providers to prepare children to interact in the online world safely--just as you would in the offline world. The Internet is a phenomenal tool, but it comes with great dangers, not unlike a bicycle, a car, or an ordinary can of hairspray. Let's teach our kids to use it safely.
To show your support for the AWARE Act, you can learn more at Congresswoman Schultz's and Congressman Culberson's websites:
For information on how you can help your children use the Internet safely today, Download the free software from McGruff SafeGuard, made available for free through a partnership with the NCPC.Labels: AWARE Act, education, internet safety
posted by Nick Carter at 4:59 AM Link to this Article
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Cyberbullying?
Monday, July 20, 2009
Have you ever heard of the term “cyberbullying?” If you have heard of this term, have you ever wondered whether your child may be either a victim or a bully him/herself? Perhaps they don’t even know what it means.Perhaps you don't. And that’s okay. Let me give you an example.
Do you remember the story of the Megan Meier, the 13-year old from Dardenne Prairie, MO who committed suicide over an online hoax? Meier suffered from depression and a mild case of ADD, according to the story reported on FoxNews.com. Megan had become friends with a boy named Josh through the social networking site, Myspace. She had an online relationship with Josh for over a month before he abruptly cut off their friendship by saying “I don’t know if I want to be friends with you anymore because I heard you are not nice to your friends.” She killed herself the next day. The shocker was that the boy never existed. He was a made-up character that a neighborhood family invented and one of the members included one of Megan’s old friends.
Although this is an extreme case, cyberbulling is something that occurs on a daily basis. According to Stopcyberbulling.org, “Cyberbullying" is when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones. It has to have a minor on both sides, or at least have been instigated by a minor against another minor. Once adults become involved, it is plain and simple cyber-harassment or cyberstalking. Adult cyber-harassment or cyberstalking is NEVER called cyberbullying.
Were you ever bullied in school? I was. I think it could be safe to say that most schools have a couple of bigger and meaner kids who, for whatever reason, think it’s okay to bully. When I was in school, I would get mean notes or dirty looks. So, it makes sense that this would happen by the same types of bullies, only online. Can we completely protect our children from this? I don’t think we can. What we CAN do however, is be aware that cyberbullying exists, know what it means, and know what we could perhaps look out for. We can educate our kids and report the behavior to the local school or authorities. We can also monitor our children’s online activity through McGruff Safeguard.
No parent wants to believe their kids are affected or an initiator of cyberbullying. Perhaps with some conversation and monitoring, we can all help with education of internet safety. If you have children who spend time online, I encourage you to sit down with them and have a conversation about cyberbullying. Please share your thoughts, opinions, or experiences with children and cyberbullying.Labels: cyberbulling, education, internet safety
posted by Lindsay Manfredi at 9:02 AM Link to this Article
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Protecting Our Children Online
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Let’s be honest. There are many joys in parenting and raising children. But as every parent knows, the joys of children can come with heartache, trust issues, and tough times. With some teens, the Internet is quickly becoming their best friend. Parents have become increasingly concerned with Internet safety as their children become involved in a world where the parent cannot always see what the child is doing or who they are talking to online.
When you think of “Internet” crimes, do you automatically think of predators? Adults who are online waiting with anticipation to take advantage of kids at the first chance they get? Do they start out in a chat room, posing to be someone they aren’t? Build trust to prey on the young?
Certainly, this is a scary proposition. But the most common Internet crimes don’t come from child predators, but from careless mistakes. We should educate our children about the bad people who are inevitably out in the world. But we also need to speak to them about Internet safety.
Is there some way to truly protect the children in this age of technology and passwords? Is there some way to REALLY know what is going on behind the computer screen? Is there some way to be able to monitor what is happening with kids in order to modify the conversations that parents have with them?
With these and many more questions in mind, the National Crime Prevention Council, has created McGruff Safeguard , a software program designed to educate parents on internet safety. McGruff Safeguard is dedicated to “taking a bite out of Internet crime.” As this blog begins, we want your input, we want your stories, and we want your comments.
Let’s dive into the reality of the web in order to help keep YOU informed on what is going on online.
posted by Lindsay Manfredi at 10:39 AM Link to this Article
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