Child Predators Are Everywhere

Child predators are not caught only in small rural towns on the Dateline series “To Catch a Predator”; they are also caught here in Rhode Island. It may be scary to think that these people are so close, but it’s true. 39-year-old Timothy J. Sheldon was an assistant principle at Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, R.I. In November of 2004 he solicited a person in a chat room who he believed was a 14-year-old boy, but was really a member of Perverted Justice.

Perverted Justice was setup in 2002 as a watchdog agency that works with law enforcement agencies. Its volunteers carry out sting operations by posing as minors waiting for older men to approach them in chat rooms. As of May 1st, their operations have led to 179 convictions. Perverted Justice posted the conversation on their Web site and notified the Warwick Police Department, where he lived, and Rhode Island State Police. Based on the transcript alone, they had enough evidence to track him down. Sheldon moved to Massachusetts in an attempt to escape authorities, but was caught in December of 2004 and handed over to Rhode Island authorities. The hard drive from the computer that he used to chat has yet to be found.

On February 9th of 2005, he was the first person to be charged with 2 counts of Indecent Solicitation of a Child (§11-37-8.8), which became an RI State law in August of 2004. He plead no contest to one count and under the terms of a plea agreement, the State dismissed the other count of indecent solicitation. He was sentenced to 5 years probation, forced to surrender his R.I. teaching certificate, and is not allowed to use the Internet. He cannot be employed in a job in which he has contact with children under the age of 18, and had to complete sex offender counseling and treatment.

Click here to visit the Perverted Justice Web site

Wireless AMBER Alerts

AMBER Alerts are sent out when a child has been abducted and it is believed that their life is in grave danger. Statistics show that when abducted, a child’s greatest enemy is time. According to a study by the United States Department of Justice, 74% of the children who were kidnapped and later found murdered were killed within the first 3 hours of being taken.
Time is of the essence, so sign up for Wireless AMBER Alerts on your cell phone, pager or PDA. The alert is sent via text message, and most major carriers provide the service free of charge. You will receive alerts as soon as they are released to the public and that pertain only to your geographic area.
Click here and sign up today.

Amber Frangos

Amber Frangos is the author of "The Butterfly Net" and "No Child is Safe: from Internet Crime, A Guide for Parents", two very interesting and informative books regarding children on the Internet. She has spent years educating children and adults about the dangers of the Internet. Her books have tips to help keep your children safe online, as well as describing how predators use the Internet to gain access to children and their personal information.

To purchase her books or for more information please visit:

Amber Frangos, At-risk-youth Educator, Researcher, and Writer

What is Social Networking?

Social Networking
(also known as online communities)
These sites allow users to generate and maintain relationships online with other members of the network. The idea is to post journals and pictures of oneself, communicate with others, and find others with similar interests. The communities are great for self-expression, helpful and informative information, new experiences, and more. Social networking has become increasingly popular recently among teens and young adults.
Caution!
- Objectionable material can be found on social networking sites, such as explicit language, racist/violent text and images, and sexual content.
- It is important to maintain your privacy by not advertising any personal information or pictures. One never knows who will venture to their site with the hopes of gaining personal information about a particular person.
- Online predators can lie about their age and location for the purpose of developing a relationship with a minor.
Popular Social Networks
MySpace, Xanda, LiveJournal, myYearbook, BlackPlanet, MiGente, AsianAvenue, Bolt, Hi5, Facebook, and Friendster.

What is Peer-to-Peer?

Peer-to-Peer
(also known as P2P)
P2P systems allow the exchange of files from person to person without having to go through a Web site. There are many legal and ethical issues surrounding P2P systems due to unauthorized sharing of copyrighted materials. These systems allow people to share music, videos, photographs, text documents, and software. The idea behind P2P file-sharing systems is that users who download files should allow others to upload files from them.
Caution!
- Some of the files that are available for download might contain disturbing and inappropriate material.
- P2P software is notorious for including spyware and adware. Spyware is software that automatically downloads itself onto a computer to collect personal information without the user's informed consent. Adware is software that automatically displays advertisements on a computer after it installs itself.

What is Instant Messaging?

Instant Messaging
(also known as IM or IMing)
Instant messaging allows a sender to type a message and then instantly send that message to a recipient on another computer. Anyone who is signed on to the instant messaging program and has an Internet connection can exchange messages in real time, and multiple messages can be sent to several people at once. Recent advances in technology allow text messaging with cell phones.
Caution!
- Like chatrooms, you should never give out any personal information unless you are 100% sure of who you are communicating with.
- Some instant messaging services allow video chatting in real time, which requires a camera or a video device on your computer that is used in corporation with typing.
- Some services encourage you to enter information about yourself into a "profile" with personal information, such as your age, sex, location, interests, etc. While it is not recommended to enter such information, it is even worse to post your name and address. These profiles can usually be seen by anyone.
- Be careful about what you say, because there is no way to "take back" something once you have entered it.
Instant Messaging Services
AIM, MSN, Yahoo!, ICQ, Google Talk, Trillian, iChat, Adium, Miranda, Odigo, Instan-T, and many more.

What are Chatrooms?

Chatrooms
Chatrooms can be one of the most dangerous places on the Internet. (Never say anything in a chatroom that you would not say in public, because you do not know why is there. )
Chatrooms allow one to engage in conversations with people all over the world. They can be used to find friends and to communicate with people who share similar interests. Everyone in the chatroom can see everything that you type, and vice-versa. If the chatroom has a monitor, they cannot prevent you from going to a private chat area or typing information that could put you in danger.
Caution!
- Chatrooms are sometimes used by people to exploit others, can be used by child molesters to find victims, and may be used to bully or harass others.
- Meeting someone in a chatroom is one thing, but meeting them face-to-face is another thing. It may be tempting to meet someone in person, but always remember that people are not always who they seem to be.
- Even if a chatroom is designated for teens, there is a good chance that there are much older people in that chatroom too.
- To avoid harassment, choose a gender-neutral name for use in chatrooms so that no one will know your real name.