How can I find out if my kid is IM'ing with a sexual predator?
How can I find out who this is and put a stop to it w/o upsetting my daughter. Is there a "internet police" to report this too.
Answer:
Call your local police, even if he is only 19, he's still an adult who is sexually manipulating a minor. That suicide threat is classic abuser behavior. Most police departments know how to handle internet crimes.
I think you should also report it to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Their link is below -- they ask for a lot of weird info that you probably don't know, but give them both your daughter's and the boy's IM screen names and as much other info that they ask for as you know.
BTW, this probably will upset your daughter. There is no way to put a stop to it without upsetting her. But it's your job as a parent to step in and protect her when she's getting in over her head, ESPECIALLY if she doesn't want to be protected. Sorry, Mom.
FYI, most IM companies don't have any way to trace who the screen name "really" is. They don't have credit card info or anything like that when people use their free services. So you can't call AOL or Yahoo and get the person's identity, and then call him yourself and tell him to leave your daughter alone. (And even if you could, it's probably a bad idea. Police are better at that kind of thing.)
Good luck.
Maybe you could call or write to dateline NBC...they always have those sexual predator shows
Pervertedjustice.com is who Dateline goes through for their shows. Maybe you can report him there?
I honestly dont think there is a way to know if he really is a sexual predator. Its hard to tell now a days with all this technology. I guess the one thing you can do is limit your daughters computer usage or place the computer where everyone can see it not in her own room
What on earth would pocess you to even let her IM with a 19 year old ADULT? You have the power to stop it and since this guy claims to be over 18, he can be arrested.
I would contact your local police department or county sheriff. The county that I live in has an online predator division.
sign on their yahoo messenger whenever they arent around. and write down the sites she goes to online.
Maybe your best bet is to try and get on your daughter's IM account, pose as her, and start asking questions to this guy. See if you can find out his e-mail address, and more information about him and where he lives.
The reason why I suggest to get his e-mail address is that every provider has an e-mail account for receiving complaints of abuse by those who use that service. The abuse team is your "internet police," and could take steps to deactivate his account for violations of their Terms of Service, or even report him to his local authorities.
When you do send in your complaint to the abuse team, it is very important to include any and all chat logs that you've gotten. The more that you can include, the better your chances of stopping this person from trying to further manipulate your daughter, much less contacting her.
Pretend to be your daughter. Sign on in her i.d. and im that creep. Make sure you act silly and giddy. Don't come off as a man, let alone a father. Pretend to be her and wait. Youmay have to be patient to get an answer. Then after that, find out his address so that you can "plan to meet him". Say this " I can come see you, you want to know how", then say "I have money saved form birthdays and from my grandma". He will become intrigued and he will push the issue. He will ask about parents reaction, so just say "my parents dont really care what I do" or " I have a cousin in Va, and I am going to visit him, cant I see you". Just as bait to get any info you may need/want. Take this address and the copy of the im(also reiterate that you are 15, "I am so sacred to be with you, I am only 15"/ this will open the flood gate to this man saying something entrapping) to the poilice and file charges and get a "restraining order". Oh, you will have to get his age so tell him that you want to do a compatibilty reading(astrology) to see how long "you two will be together". He may wonder why your asking something your daughter may know, but say "I forgot, silly". Sit you daughter down and have a good talk with her. Let her know all the ugliness of this words such as unwanted pregnancies(to say the least) and STD's like herpes, AIDS, chlamydia, etc. Show her pictures of what these infections look like. Get extreme with this. This is your dear child. Also, let her know that if she does not tell you all, that you will have to go through her things for her own safety. If you don't want her to know you snoop, do it anyway. Look under that mattress, in those drawer. Get any info you can, how ever you can. From one parent to another, I hope you find a resolution.
The answers post by the user, for information only, FeelBaby.com does not guarantee the right.