Post by Blu on Nov 27, 2004 21:03:41 GMT -5
Internet predator targeting Indiana kids
Russ McQuaid
November 27, 2004
Indianapolis -- Kids gabbing and gossiping on Internet chat rooms. They do it all the time.
The big problem is that a lot of the time they don't really know who they're talking to. Mom and dad don't know who's in that chatroom either.
Some northern Indiana youngsters and their parents have been shocked to learn their innocent world has been violated.
''..and we're looking for a potentially dangerous on-line predator right now,'' says Wendy Osborn of the FBI.
Children 10 to 17 years of age have been targetted in White, Pulaski and Carroll counties.
Osborn says, ''He's going on-line and hi-jacking their buddy lists, he's introduced himself thru their buddy list and attempting to lure them into talking to him and then further stealing their accounts.''
''He has made contact with several individuals. our first alert to this scam or this dangerous individual was through a parent contacting us, saying, 'something's not right with my child's account right now'. They thought they were talking to their friend, somebody else jumped on.''
The predator is demanding to speak to the child on the phone and is demanding phone sex in exchange for returning control of their Internet account and password.
Osborn says, ''Our worst case would be if this predator would travel to Indiana and, God forbid, take one of the children.''
''Trust me, we're hot on his trail. We believe we have somebody identified at this point.''
Such predators leave virtual fingerprints.. and if they catch him.. the FBI will charge him with on-line child exploitation.
For more information on how to protect your children from online predators, check out these websites:
FBI website
missingkids.com
Copyright © 2004, WXIN-TV, Indianapolis
fox59.trb.com/news/webpredator,0,5868994.story?coll=wxin-home-1
Russ McQuaid
November 27, 2004
Indianapolis -- Kids gabbing and gossiping on Internet chat rooms. They do it all the time.
The big problem is that a lot of the time they don't really know who they're talking to. Mom and dad don't know who's in that chatroom either.
Some northern Indiana youngsters and their parents have been shocked to learn their innocent world has been violated.
''..and we're looking for a potentially dangerous on-line predator right now,'' says Wendy Osborn of the FBI.
Children 10 to 17 years of age have been targetted in White, Pulaski and Carroll counties.
Osborn says, ''He's going on-line and hi-jacking their buddy lists, he's introduced himself thru their buddy list and attempting to lure them into talking to him and then further stealing their accounts.''
''He has made contact with several individuals. our first alert to this scam or this dangerous individual was through a parent contacting us, saying, 'something's not right with my child's account right now'. They thought they were talking to their friend, somebody else jumped on.''
The predator is demanding to speak to the child on the phone and is demanding phone sex in exchange for returning control of their Internet account and password.
Osborn says, ''Our worst case would be if this predator would travel to Indiana and, God forbid, take one of the children.''
''Trust me, we're hot on his trail. We believe we have somebody identified at this point.''
Such predators leave virtual fingerprints.. and if they catch him.. the FBI will charge him with on-line child exploitation.
For more information on how to protect your children from online predators, check out these websites:
FBI website
missingkids.com
Copyright © 2004, WXIN-TV, Indianapolis
fox59.trb.com/news/webpredator,0,5868994.story?coll=wxin-home-1