GILBERT
GILBERT POLICE ARE NOW INVESTIGATING.
INVESTIGATING. >>> OUR NEXT BIG STORY, A 12
NEWS I TEAM EXCLUSIVE EXPOSING
CYBER PREDATORS.
CYBER PREDATORS. >> WE HAVE HEARD ABOUT
DETECTIVES WHO POSE AS YOUNG
GIRLS AND CHAT WITH MEN THAT
ARE TRYING TO LURE IN MINORS
HOPING TO GET THEM OFF THE
STREET.
STREET.
STREET. >> IS APPARENT I CAN TELL YOU
THAT THE STORY IS DISTURBING TO
BOTH OF US.
BUT IT IS IMPORTANT.
BIANCA BUONO IS SITTING DOWN
WITH ONE OF THOSE INVESTIGATORS
. SHE JOINS US LIVE IN STUDIO
WITH WHAT SHE HAS UNCOVERED.
>> Reporter: STRANGER DANGER
HAS TAKEN ON A NEW FORM.
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF
CHILDREN TARGETED EACH WEEK
ACROSS THE COUNTRY ONLINE BY
PREDATORS HIDING BEHIND
COMPUTER SCREENS.
COMPUTER SCREENS. 12 YOU PARENTS WATCHING, YOU
WANT TO PAY ATTENTION AS THE 12
NEWS I TEAM TAKES YOU BEHIND-
THE-SCENES OF A CHILD SEX
FRANCE INVESTIGATION.
FRANCE INVESTIGATION. >> AGREED
>> AGREED
>> AGREED >> A.
>> A.
>> A. >>
>>
>> >>>
>> >>> THE DISTURBING ONLINE CHAT
YOU ARE WATCHING PLAY OUT
ISRAEL.
ISRAEL.
ISRAEL. >> MAYBE.
>> MAYBE.
>> MAYBE. BUT YOU KNOW I AM 14, RIGHT?
>> Reporter: BETWEEN ADULT MEN
AND A 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL.
>> YOU KNOW I AM 14, RIGHT?
OR AT LEAST WHO THEY BELIEVE TO
BE A 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL.
>> AGE, LOCATION?
>> 14, ARIZONA.
>> I AM OLDER.
>> Reporter: THESE MEN ARE
TALKING TO PENNELL COUNTY
DETECTIVE RANDALL SNYDER.
>> IT WAS AS SIMPLE AS LOGGING
INTO A KIDS CHAT ROOM.
WITHIN ABOUT FIVE MINUTES
HAVING INDIVIDUALS RANGING FROM
ABOUT 32 ALMOST 60 YEARS OF AGE
ASKING IF I WOULD LIKE TO GET
ON CAM, ASKED ME IF I WOULD BE
INTERESTED IN WATCHING THEM
MASTURBATE.
MASTURBATE. >> Reporter: THE NAMES BLURRED
OUT BECAUSE THEY ARE STILL
UNDER INVESTIGATION.
UNDER INVESTIGATION. >> THESE GUYS ARE ONLINE FOR
ONE REASON ONLY.
THAT IS TO FIND A KID THEY CAN
SEXUALLY WAIT AS QUICKLY AS
POSSIBLE.
POSSIBLE.
POSSIBLE. DETECTIVE SNYDER HAS BEEN
INVESTIGATING CRIMES AGAINST
CHILDREN FOR YEARS.
HE SAYS THE PROBLEM OF
PREDATORS PREYING ON CHILDREN
ONLY SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE.
>> WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR THE
WHITE PANEL MAN AND THE GUY
OFFERING CANDY ANYMORE.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR THE GUY WHO
SAYS HE IS A FRIEND OF THEIRS
FROM FACEBOOK.
FROM FACEBOOK. >> Reporter: NOW NEARLY EVERY
CHILD HAS ASKED US TO PHONES
ERIE TABLETS, COMPUTERS.
>> MOST OF THEM CAN FUNCTION
THOSE DEVICES BETTER THAN THEIR
PARENTS.
PARENTS.
PARENTS. >> Reporter: EVERY SOCIAL MEDIA
APP, VIDEOGAME AND CHAT ROOM
SERVING AS A HUNTING GROUND FOR
CYBER PREDATORS.
CYBER PREDATORS. >> ANY SOCIAL MEDIA APPLICATION
THAT HAS KIDS ON IT IS A
TARGET.
TARGET.
TARGET. THEY ARE GOING TO LEARN THE
LINGO.
LINGO.
LINGO. THEY ARE GOING TO LEARN THE
GAME AND THE APPLICATION TO GO
AFTER THESE KIDS.
>> Reporter: THE VICTIMS
GETTING YOUNGER.
GETTING YOUNGER. >> THE AVERAGE CHILD THAT IS
BEING EXPLOITED ONLINE IS
DROPPED DOWN TO HIS LOW AS 11.
>> Reporter: A TYPICAL DAY FOR
SNYDER WAS APPARENT HIMSELF
INVOLVES LOGGING INTO ALL OF
THESE APPS AND POSTING USING
HIS ONLINE PERSONA.
>> I WILL DO IT ANY OTHER KID
DOES ERIE WILL GO ON AND SAY
HI.
HI.
HI. AND
HI. AND THEN HE WAITS.
>> I HAVE HAD CONVERSATIONS
THAT TOOK DAYS ERIE I HAD
CONVERSATIONS THAT THE SECOND
LINE WAS A, WOULD YOU LIKE TO
DO THIS THAT OR THE OTHER?
>> Reporter: 31-YEAR-OLD MILES
VALENCIA OF CHANDLER IS ONE OF
THE MANY THEY SAY MOVED QUICKLY.
>> AN INNOCENT POST WAS PUT OUT
THERE.
THERE.
THERE. RIGHT AWAY VALENCIA TAKING
STEPS TO MEET IN PERSON.
INCLUDING HIS DRIVETIME FROM
CHANDLER WAS RIGHT AT 60
MINUTES, 90 MINUTES LIKE THAT
FROM THE TIME THE POST WHEN IT
IS THE TIME WE HAD HIM IN
CUSTODY.
CUSTODY.
CUSTODY. >> Reporter: THE SCOPE OF THIS
PROBLEM OVERWHELMING.
PROBLEM OVERWHELMING. >> THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR
MISSING THE VOIDED CHILDREN
RECEIVED OVER 340,000 HITS.
>> Reporter: SNYDER SAYS
PARENTS CAN PREVENT THEIR
CHILDREN FROM BECOMING THE NEXT
VICTIM.
VICTIM.
VICTIM. >> STICKING YOUR HEAD IN THE
SAND OR SAYING IT IS NOT GOING
TO HAPPEN TO MY KIDS IS NOT THE
WAY IT WILL DO IT.
>> MONITORING ONLINE ACTIVITY
IS STEP NUMBER 1.
>> NEED TO BE AWARE OF WHAT
THEIR KIDS ARE DOING ONLINE.
>> Reporter: CHECKING YOUR KIDS
SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS.
AND NOT JUST THE ONES THEY WANT
YOU TO SEE.
>> IT IS NOT UNCOMMON FOR KIDS
TO HAVE A SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT
THAT THEY HAVE OPEN FOR THEIR
PARENTS AND THEN THEY HAVE THE
OTHER ACCOUNT THAT IS FOR THEIR
FRIENDS.
FRIENDS.
FRIENDS. THAT IS THE ONE YOU NEED TO BE
LOOKING AT.
LOOKING AT. >> Reporter: HAVING THE
IMPORTANT CONVERSATIONS.
IMPORTANT CONVERSATIONS. >> IF IT IS NOT A PERSON YOU
HAVE MET FACE-TO-FACE EMMA THAT
IS NOT YOUR FRIEND.
>> Reporter: THE MAN BEHIND
THESE CHATS ARE STILL OUT THERE.
INVESTIGATORS LIKE SNYDER CAN
ONLY DO SO MUCH.
>> IF I EVEN GET ONE PERSON WHO
WATCHES THIS TO GO, I NEED TO
LOOK AT MY KIDS PHONE A LITTLE
BIT CLOSER.
BIT CLOSER. I NEED TO CHECK MY KIDS iPAD.
THAT IS WORTH IT TO ME.
>> Reporter: THERE ARE PLENTY
OF APPS OUT THERE THAT CAN HELP
PARENTS MONITOR WHAT THEIR KIDS
ARE DOING ON THEIR DEVICES.
YOU CAN FIND A FULL LIST OF
THOSE ON OUR WEBSITE,