How To Recognize A Predator On The Internet !!??

How To Recognize a Predator

There is a simple rule here: there is no easy way to tell if someone on the Internet could be a predator.

Simply by its design, the Internet unwittingly provides an environment of assumed anonymity for people to interact.

It is important to remember that people are often not who they say they are online. Although it is very difficult to know whether someone is an online predator, there's one simple rule for making sure that friends on the Internet are NOT predators: do not talk to people online unless you've met them in person first. Even then, chat and e-mails should be monitored, and every parent should make an effort to know their child's friends, and their parents. Just because you know your child is talking to someone from school doesn't mean that the conversation cannot be inappropriate.

How Online Predators Act:
Where and How Online Predators Find and Lure Their Victims
Predators establish contact with kids through conversations in chat rooms, instant messaging, e-mail, or even cell phones and mobile text messaging. These days, many teens will turn to their friends and acquaintances online to deal with family/relationship problems. Often, troubled or stressed teens may find it easier to confide in a stranger or at least someone with whom they are not face to face. Online predators prey on this vulnerability, and exploit it to their advantage. Teens who are not receiving the attention that they need at home will soon find that it can be 'easily had' online, and predators know this.

Online predators will use flattery, in many different ways, to try to win over, or seduce their victims. Online predators can take on many roles/personalities. Some online predators have been known to pose as several people at once (easily accomplished through the use of instant messaging) to talk to one potential victim. The predator can send a message as any age, sex, or personality. Sometimes predators will even pose as the same age and sex as their intended victim, in order to learn more information and get 'closer' to the victim. The same predator may approach the same victim numerous times as numerous personalities in attempt to learn more information, get the person to talk to them, and earn their 'trust.'

Online predators will go to great lengths to convince their targets that they are sincere, caring, and who they think they are. They will use the same language, acronyms, conversation topics, and screen names as those they target. They are also willing to spend a great deal of time and effort to 'win over' their victim's affections and or trust. Predator's computers have been found to contain detailed logs of victim's likes, dislikes, online times, home schedules, appearance, and hobbies/interests, in addition to personal information.

It is important to remember that an 'online predator' does not necessarily mean someone who is seeking an in-person meeting with a victim. Thousands of predators conduct their activities exclusively online or by phone. It is important to be aware of and protect your child from all kinds of sexual predators.

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How Can I Secure My Children From Internet !!

Tips For Parents :

Communicate with your child. Be involved in your child's activities, know their friends, hobbies, and interests.

Take time to teach your children to use the Internet responsibly.
Make sure the computer is in a high traffic area.

Familiarize yourself with the computer, programs, and the method that your child uses to communicate online.

When possible, use the Internet with your children.
Use Internet filters or blocking software, and parental controls.
Set time limits for Internet use.
Develop an 'online rules' agreement with your children, and have everyone sign it.
Make sure you know your children's logon passwords - and no one else does.
Know your children's friends - and their parents. Find out what rules/safeguards other parents have at homes where your child might be spending time online.
Know about the meanings of abbreviations and acronyms used in chatrooms and online and chat room signs - emoticons used ...
Children should not complete profiles for a service provider or enter any personal information on any form.
Children's screennames should be nondescript so as not to identify that the user is a child -- no cute names, school names, or names with year of birth.
It's even safer for girls to use a gender-neutral or boy's name, since most predators are on the lookout for young girls.
Use child-friendly search engines
Find out who children are exchanging E-mail with, and only let them use chat areas when you can supervise.
Be aware of any other computers or Internet access available to your child.
Going Beyond the Computer:
More Tips For Concerned Parents

Unfortunately, just protecting your child from online predators through your home computer is not enough. Many children and teens have access to computers at school, libraries, other friends' homes, and even internet cafes. A child can be exposed to a predator online elsewhere, and bring the threat and danger home.

With cellular phones as prevalent as they are today, many children have a phone with them 24 hours a day. This can present a problem when attempting to keep track of who your child is talking to.

Just because you get the monthly bill, does not mean they cannot be making and receiving calls that you don't know about. Most calling plans offer 'free minutes' during off-peak hours, and occasionally, these calls are not itemized on the monthly bill. Consult your wireless carrier to determine how minutes are billed and phone calls are tracked.
Consider the possibility that you may need to keep your child's cell phone in your room each night to prevent unauthorized calls late at night when no one else is listening.

This is a precaution that should also be taken with home phones. Keep track of where all of your cordless handsets are in the house, and, if necessary, lock them up or do away with them completely.
Also, be aware that your child could still be using the phone, even if you've secured all of your family's phones in the house.
As you might expect, teens can go to great lengths to attempt to 'outsmart' the parent, or get around the rules. You may need to disable the phone jack(s) in unmonitored areas of the home in order to prevent your teen from buying or borrowing a small phone, and plugging it into their own jack. Then, in the morning the phone could have been unplugged and hidden.
Caller ID has become helpful in preventing unwanted calls, but remember that a teen can easily delete the history on a caller ID phone, much like they can delete the history on a computer. Consider getting 'caller ID blocking blocking', thus preventing unknown callers from calling your home. Also, keep a caller ID phone in a secure place in order to record all incoming calls received.

Even cell phones can be purchased without a parent's knowledge. Cellular phones are so readily available these days, that phones and calling cards for them can be purchased at many drug, convenience, and grocery stores.

For Online Safety ---
Google Safety Tools 

Google SafeSearch (Set search settings on your own computer)


SafeSearch Lock - Can set a password so that search settings are not changeable without password use. More info on using Lock feature

Reporting Inappropriate Content
Place to report inappropriate, explicit material you may have found on Google, YouTube, Buzz, Picasa Web Albums or Blogger
Setting Sharing Controls and Privacy Settings Google offers many services that allow users to share information, from Gmail to YouTube to Blogger. Sharing controls in these products put you in control of how much and what type of content you share with whom, online, including photos, personal blogs, and profile information,
YouTube
Google Talk and Gmail Chat
Buzz
Picasa Web Albums
Blogger
Mobile and Geolocation

Tips from Parents at Google
More information from informed and aware, Internet saavy parents.
Resources for Safety
More Internet safety information and resources for kids and schools