This document discusses cyber predators and their behaviors. It notes that cyber predators do not fit the clinical profile of pedophiles since they primarily target adolescents rather than children. The document outlines Olson et al.'s Luring Communication Theoretical Model, which describes the 5 phases of predation: gaining access, deceptive trust development, grooming, isolation, and approach. Examples of language used by predators during each phase are provided. Preventative measures like the website Perverted-Justice.com, which uses decoy profiles to identify and convict predators, are also mentioned.

1. Cyber Predators
Lindsay E
Comm 250: Communications &
Technology

2. “Cyber Predators”: Who are
they?
O Do not fit clinical profile of pedophiles since
primarily target adolescents, not children
O Indeed, 1 in 8 offenders arrested for actually
committed crimes against adolescents (Wolak et
al., 2013)
O Seek certain characteristics: seek admiration
from victims who may be sexually naïve; may
fear adult relationships; want to “feel young”; feel
empowered exerting power or control over naïve
youth (Wolak et al., 2013)
O May be primarily sexually attracted to adults but
target youth for reasons including empowerment,
impulse desires, curiosity, and anger

3. The “cyber predators”: Who are
they?
(Wolak et al., 2013)

4. The “cyber predators”: What
do they do?
O Spend as much as 6 hours/day searching for victims
(Myers, 2014)
O Have substantial amount of children in contacts on
social networking sites
O Keep “meticulous” notes on these victims or contacts
O Rapidly shift from “grooming” to upfront sexualized
conversations
O Abandon these traditional “time-consuming”
processes
O “Offenders reported that, if a child did not respond to
their online initiations, the offender would move on to
another child; there was no need to bother with the
process of grooming when immediately asking
children for sex or to meet them produced results”
(Myers, 2014).
O Use the social media to “fast-track” abuse process

5. “Cyber Victims”: Who are
they?
O 13-17 years old (Wolak et al., 2013)
O ¼ are 13 years old
O Characteristics and risky behaviors that
increase likelihood of victimization:
O Youth questioning their sexuality; youths with
histories of sexual/physical abuse, and other
troubled or confused youth; youths with poor
relationships with parents; youths who
frequent chat rooms, talk online to strangers
about sex or who already engage in risky
sexual behavior offline (Wolak et al., 2013)

6. The “cyber victims”: Who are
they?
(Wolak et al., 2013)

7. The “cyber victims”: What do
they do?
O Anonymity and Deception cause victims to not know who
they are interacting with
O 4/5 youth cannot tell difference between “chatting” with peer
or an adult online (Myers, 2014)
O Causes them to engage and respond to these predators
O 5 common behavioral mistakes (Tedeschi, 2009)
1. “Broadcasting personal info to entire internet”
2. “Sharing Passwords”
3. “Befriending strangers”
4. “Baring their souls” (revealing too much intimate
information via CMC)
5. “Forgetting their futures” (posting incriminating
posts/pictures which may lead to unwanted consequences
such as reducing employment chances or college
enrollment opportunities)

8. Modeling Predation Theory
O Olson et al. Luring Communication
Theoretical (LCT) Model
O 5 phases of predation
1. Gaining access
2. Deceptive trust development
3. Grooming
4. Isolation
5. Approach

9. Phase 1: Gaining Access
O Predator must be “motivated and able
to gain access to potential victims and
their families” (Olson et al., 2007)
O Exchanging of personal info between
predator and victim
O Gains this access through IM
forums, MySpace or Facebook, chat room
that contain minors

10. Phase 2: Deceptive Trust
Development
O “a perpetrator’s ability to cultivate relationships with
potential victims and possibly their families that are
intended to benefit the perpetrator’s own sexual
interest” (Olson et al., 2007)
O Exists throughout CMC relationship between victim
and predator
O 4 subcategories
1. Personal information- details about victim and
predator’s locations, names, ages, etc.
2. Relationship details- discuss how each begin or
maintain relationships with friends or family
3. Activities- victim and predators’ preferred hobbies or
social behaviors
4. Compliments- predator or victim complimenting the
other on his or her qualities

11. Phase 3: Grooming
O “the subtle communication strategies that sexual
abusers use to prepare their potential victims to
accept the sexual conduct” (Olson et al., 2007)
O Two subcategories
1. Communicative desensitization
O Predator uses vulgar sexual language and attempts
to initiate or encourage interest within the victim
about sex
2. Reframing
O “contact or sex play between victim and adults that
may be communicated in ways that would make it
beneficial to the victim later in life” (Olson et
al., 2007)
O Sex portrayed as positive and beneficial learning
experience

12. Phase 4: Isolation
O Physical isolation- attempt to spend time alone with
victim
O Ensures victim has no parental supervision or is in a
private place when chat online
O Mental isolation- attempt to increase emotional
support and dependency
O Predator may provide sympathy and support to
victim’s problems
O “The predator seeks to isolate the victim and then to
fill the social gaps in the victim’s life as a tool to
facilitate abuse and gain control of the victim”
(Edwards et al., 2010)

13. Phase 5: Approach
O “The initial physical contact or verbal lead-ins
that occur prior to the actual sexual act”
(Olson et al., 2007)
O “The final step when the predator requests to
meet the victim offline with the intent of
beginning a sexual relationship” (Edwards et
al., 2010).
O After gains trust, provides grooming, isolates
minor from current social offline contacts and
ensures victim’s dependency on the
predator, then approaches

14. Examples of LCT Model in
Predators’ Language Use
(Edwards et al., 2010)

15. Examples of CMC between
Predators and Victims
(www.perverted-justice.com)

16. Where does this CMC occur?
O Internet
O Cell phones
O Social media sites
O Some examples (Datar & Mislan, 2010) :
O Chat rooms

17. Preventative Measures
O “Perverted-Justice.com”- “the largest and best
anti-predator organization online”
O This website has convicted more than 584 sexual
predators since June 2004 (Perverted-
Justice.com)
O Place “pseudo-adolescents” in chat rooms and
create decoy profiles in attempt to identify
internet predators and convict or incarcerate
them