What is Your Child Doing Online?

The same anonymity that shields the online predator from detection can also shield juveniles who choose to engage in criminal activity. Parents of children prosecuted by the Prosecutor's Office often are amazed to learn their honor student has engaged in criminal activities online. Much like the kids who fall prey to Internet predators, juveniles who commit crime via the Internet spend too much unsupervised time online.

Unsupervised Young Internet Surfers Can Quickly Learn How To:

Steal identifying information on other people (such as credit card and Social Security numbers) to make online purchases, ruining the victim's good credit.

Join groups that steal or pirate copyrighted software.

Create bogus eBay accounts to sell non-existent merchandise.

Join criminal syndicates that give kids valid credit card numbers in exchange for accepting and forwarding stolen merchandise.

Hack into corporate servers and steal or destroy information.

Chat with members of hate groups or satanic cults and be lulled into their illegal activities.

Download copyrighted songs and movies costing media companies millions of dollars in lost revenue.