Brandon Twp.- The man lived overseas and was preying on women all over the world. Now, his victim was an Oakland County girl.
He asked for sexually explicit photos of her and blackmailed her with her parents? tax information and pictures, telling her he would ruin their lives and credit history if she didn’t comply. The situation escalated for nearly a year until he wanted to meet her for sex and she finally told someone what had been going on and police arrested him in Indiana a few years ago.
This is just one of the hundreds of cases Detective Jerry DeRosia has worked as a member of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Computer Crimes Unit, since 2005. He will advise parents on how to help their child avoid becoming a victim during an internet safety program from 6:30 p.m.-7:15 p.m., May 21, at the Brandon Middle School cafeteria, 609 S. Ortonville Road. Topics covered will include frauds/scams, internet predators, myspace, instant messaging and identity theft.
Most of the investigations DeRosia and the computer crimes unit handle involve child sexually abusive activity and/or child sexually abusive materials.
‘These are pedophiles coming to meet children,? DeRosia said. ‘They go to chat rooms, online gaming sites, social networking pages such as myspace, facebook, mybuddypic.com, you name it. They chat back and forth and lead (children) into instant messaging.?
One in five children are solicited online from a stranger, DeRosia said. He counsels parents to educate themselves on what their children are doing on the internet. Know what sites they visit and create your own account to keep tabs on them. Keep the computer in a common area.
‘Watch what they are doing and don’t just give them a password and say, ‘Have at it,?? DeRosia said.
‘If you give them access when you’re not around, that’s when this stuff is going to happen.?
He cautions kids to be aware of what they are telling people online and not to share their whole lives on a webpage.
‘Predators are masters of getting you to reveal stuff without you knowing it,? DeRosia said. ‘Everything you say, they will remember or write down to try and build a personal relationship. These guys want phone numbers, they will ask if you like older men, stuff like that and start to desensitize you.?
Parents can RSVP for the internet safety presentation, sponsored by Brandon Groveland Youth Assistance, by calling 248-627-6445.