GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) – On Tuesday, a man was arrested in Florida for kidnapping a 13-year-old girl from Simpsonville. Investigators said he met the teen online and unfortunately the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office says that’s not unusual.
It’s not hard to access the internet these days.
“It’s at everyone’s fingertips and everyone has a phone or device these days,” said Lt. Ryan Flood, with the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office.
For children, this easily accessible place can be dangerous.
“There have been more and more parents approaching us about somebody messaging their children,” said Terri Clark with the Defenders for Children Organization. “Kids do not understand and are really not capable of understanding their communication and who they are communicating with and how dishonest the person on the other side can.”
Online predators can easily pretend to be someone they are not.
“There is no distinct demographic, its people from all walks of earth, its males, females, its older people, its younger people,” Flood added. “You don’t know who you are talking to they may seem trustworthy, but you just don’t really truly know who is behind that keyboard.”