Crime expert speaks to students, parents at Northlawn

The average online sex offender will have 250 victims in their lifetime if they are not caught, cyber crime expert Det. Richard Wistocki told parents Tuesday night at Northlawn School in Streator.

Going into details of the schemes online sex offenders may try on teens, Wistocki provided parents with strategies to protect their children from online predators. He said online games are a target for sex offenders, who often start out by asking children to provide a picture.

Wistocki encouraged students to follow the 3 P test before sending any photo, video or snap, which is to think about if they were to send the photo to a parent, priest or principal, what do they think they would say? If they wouldn’t approve, it is not OK to send the photo.

He also told parents they must know the codes and passwords to their child’s phones and devices in case anything happens. He encouraged parents to be involved in conversations about the games and apps their children use to understand them. He said parents should be aware of monitoring software, such as Bark.us.

Wistocki encouraged parents to take an online Cyber Parenting 101 course at www.cyberparenting-101.com