How to Report an Online Predator: Two Ways to Get Help

If someone targets your child online, here's who's already looking for them and exactly how to report it.

I'm Ben, the Family IT Guy - a dad and a cybersecurity expert with 30 years of experience. I made this video in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Know2Protect campaign. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is the part of DHS with dedicated federal agents and computer forensic analysts who spend every day finding and stopping the people who exploit kids online - but they can only act on threats that get reported.

In this video I walk through a real case: a teenage boy was sextorted (an online predator posed as another kid, got him to send a private photo, then threatened to share it unless he paid). He told his mom, she reported it, and a federal agent was at their door within 48 hours. That's the system working - the piece missing for most families is knowing it exists.

If a predator targets your child, there are two ways to report it:

Know2Protect Tip Line: 1-833-591-KNOW (5669)

NCMEC CyberTipline: https://report.cybertip.org

Before anything happens, go to https://know2protect.gov and take the Pledge2Protect with your kids. It walks your family through how predators actually operate, the warning signs to watch for, and practical safety steps you can put in place together.

Chapters:

0:00 A message to predators

0:32 A message for parents

1:02 Meet Ben, the Family IT Guy

1:23 You're not alone: meet HSI

1:48 A real case: sextortion stopped in 48 hours

2:43 How to report: two ways to get help

3:25 What you can do right now

4:04 Take the Pledge2Protect, then share it

Family IT Guy helps parents protect their kids from the two biggest digital dangers: addictive algorithms and anonymous communication, and the ways AI is making both worse.

Website: https://www.familyitguy.com

Listen to the Family IT Guy Podcast:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/family-it-guy-podcast/id1831912044

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/72yZUVsOqdDk7en5FS9U8g

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