Pasco Sheriff Warns About 15 Apps

FOX 35 Orlando

PASCO COUNTY, Fla. - "Keep an eye on your children's social media platforms."

That's the warning for parents from the Pasco County Sheriff's Office after a 22-year-old man was arrested for allegedly raping a 10-year-old child he met through Snapchat.

According to the sheriff's office, Austin Altman drove to Hernando County to pick up the girl and then drove her back to his residence, where they said he raped her. The victim reportedly told Altman to stop at least four times.

The crime prompted the sheriff's office to release a list of apps that they said predators use to target kids.

"Over the weekend a 22 year old man was arrested for enticing a 10 year old girl out of her house and brought her back to Pasco County. Here are a list of apps all parents should be aware of."

The apps that deputies say parents need to monitor include:

Snapchat: It's one of the most popular apps of 2018. While the app promises users can send a photo or video and it will disappear, recent features allow users to view content for up to 24 hours. Snapchat also allows users to see your location.

Bumble: It's similar to the popular dating app, Tinder, however, it requires women to make the first contact. Kids have been known to use Bumble to create fake accounts and falsify their age.

Kik: This app allows anyone to contact and direct message your child, sometimes anonymously. Kids sometimes use Kik to bypass traditional text messaging features. Kik gives users unlimited access to anyone, anywhere, anytime.

Calculator%: This is one of several secret apps used to hide photos, videos, files, and browser history.

Hot or Not: This app encourages users to rate other users' profiles, with the focus on physical appearance. It also allows users to check out people in their area and chat with strangers. The sheriff says the goal of this app is to "hook up."

Tiktok: It's a new app popular with kids that's used for creating and sharing short videos. With very limited privacy controls, users are vulnerable ot cyber bullying and explicit content.

Whatsapp: This is a popular messaging app that allows users to send texts, photos, voicemails, as well as make calls and video chats.

Grindr: This dating app is geared toward gay, bi and transgender people. It gives users options to chat, share photos and meet up based on a smart phone's GPS.

Skout: It's a location-based dating app. While users under 17 years old are unable to share private photos, kids can easily create an account with an older age.

Meetme: It's a dating social media app that allows users to connect with people based on geographic proximity. The app's users are encouraged to meet each other in person.
LiveMe: This live-streaming video app uses geolocation to share videos so users can find out a broadcaster's exact location. Users can earn coins within the app and use them as a way to pay minors for photos.

Holla: The app's makers admit it's an "addicting" video chat app. It allows users to meet people all over the world in just seconds. Reviewers say they have been confronted with racial slurs, explicit content, and more.

Whisper: This is an anonymous social network that promotes sharing secrets with strangers. It also reveals a user's location so people can meet up.

Badoo: This is a dating and social networking app where users can chat, share photos and videos based on location. The app is intended for adults only, but teens are known to create profiles.

Ask.fm: This app has become known for cyberbullying. The app encourages users to allow people to anonymously ask them questions.

Last month, the Sarasota Sheriff's Office released a list of 21 apps to watch out for after 23 suspected child predators were arrested during "Operation Intercept VII."

Predators are using Fortnite to lure kids. Cops say parents need to worry

By Paige Gross

First, parents worried about their children being approached by predators at grocery stores and on playgrounds. Then the threat moved online via shady profiles on social media.

Now, authorities say, some phone apps have opened even more channels of communication between adult predators and minors -- including some video games like Fortnite and Minecraft.

Earlier this week, in announcing the arrests of 24 alleged predators, state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal warned the public that people looking to take advantage of young teens and children have more options to do so than ever due to the ever-developing landscape of internet communication. 

"It is a frightening reality that sexual predators are lurking on social media, ready to strike if they find a child who is vulnerable," Grewal said in describing how the 24 suspects were attempting to lure and elicit sex with teenagers.
The suspects, all men, varied in age and walks of life.

But Grewal said most were taking advantage of a multitude of apps allowing them to reach out to children, or in this case, undercover detectives.



Some of the apps N.J. Attorney General Gurbir Grewal warned parents about monitoring. (Michael Mancuso | For NJ.com) 

The men thought they were chatting with 14- and 15-year-old boys and girls, but were instead talking with detectives with the New Jersey State Police's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

The task force trains its detectives to maintain online profiles on apps known for hooking up like Tinder and Grindr.

But Grewal said their presence can reach far beyond that.

Arrests of alleged child predators have been made after communicating through apps like Kik, Wishbone, Tumblr and even video games like Fortnite, Minecraft and Discord. 

The similarities to the more social apps are that the gaming apps have a chat area.
"These arrests serve as a sobering reminder that parents should closely monitor their child's online activity," State Police Superintendent Col. Patrick Callahan said Tuesday.

Some of the apps, like Tinder, have an 18+ age requirement, but users are able to enter a birth date that's older or younger than they actually are. A person's age listed on Facebook sets their age on Tinder, as well, if the apps are synced.

But the app wasn't always adult-only.
Up until June 2016, a user only had to be 13 to sign up. The company changed its requirement after being heavily criticized by parents, parentinfo.com reported.

Many other social mediums and apps, like Tumblr, Instagram and Snapchat also have a minimum age requirement of 13. Tumblr says it's serious about its age requirement, writing:

What is Fortnite, the video game turned cultural phenomenon?

Making sure a child or teenager doesn't get wrapped up in a conversation with someone much older than they are pretending to be boils down to parents taking note of the apps their kids are using and talking through what is appropriate, authorities say.



"If children appear anxious of evasive when the topic is raised, it may be a red flag," Grewal said.

"It's critical that parents talk to their children about social media and chat apps to let them know that the people they encounter may not be who they initially seemed to be."