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Popular Website Being Used By Sexual Predators
Reported by Jeremy Finley
E-mail:
jfinley@wsmv.com
E-mails sent to some Nashville youngsters are now being investigated by the FBI. The e-mails are a result a favorite web site used by teens and young people called My Space.Com.
Police fear this popular web site has become a breeding ground for sexual predators.
Like thousands of other young people, Belmont student Madeline Hagan created her own page on My Space.com. At first, it was fun, posting her profile, picture and getting emails, but then she and her friends started receiving insulting and sexual messages.
"[I received messages] saying, 'I want to come to Tennessee, and meet you. You're so sexy'. There were older men talking to my 16, 17, 18 year-old girlfriends," said Madeline Hagan, Student.
Although the site is designed to find friends and possible romance, Metro police say they fear it is also being used by criminals searching the web for young people and children.
"You never know who you're talking to online and most sexual predators don't tell you that they're a 45 year-old sex offender," said Lt. Chris Blackwell, Metro Sex Abuse Detective.
Metro Police have received complaints from Nashville parents saying their young children, who have posted their pictures on My Space.com, are receiving disturbing emails.
"They're concerned because they're getting e-mails from men. The e-mails have quickly turned to a sexual nature," said Lt. Blackwell.
Metro Police are now working with the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force to see who is sending the e-mails.
As for Hagan, she closed down her My Space page and advises other young people to proceed with caution if they decide to use the site.
Metro Sex Crimes detectives say they discourage any parent letting their child post their picture on My Space.com. They say if your child or teenager wants to use the site, make sure they use the computer in a family common area.
Nothing prevents predators from looking at My Space's system. The site can allow predators to look at Internet bios, but users have to OK a person's message before the user can view it.
Channel 4 was told by users that My Space.com did not always have this safeguard, but it does now.
