How Can You Tell If Your Child is the Target of a Sex Offender?

Each state maintains a sex offenders list, and regularly updates the list as sex offenders are released from confinement or as they move from one residence to another. Because sex offenders are difficult to rehabilitate, the risk of rearrest is real.

One of the easiest ways for sexual offenders to make new contacts with their victims is through the use of the Internet. How can you tell if your child is at risk?

* You do a history search on your computer and find pornography. (Sexual offenders often send pornography and sexually explicit materials to their victims.
* Your child spends a lot of time online and is secretive about what she is doing. (She may already be in an online relationship with a sexual predator.)
* Your child receives phone calls either on her cell phone or your home phone from people you don't recognize. (Be sure and check your child's cell phone records and inquire about any strange phone numbers.)
* Your child appears to become withdrawn from family and friends. (Online predators seek to isolate their victims from family and friends.)