Paedophiles target children on internet phones
6:13am Monday 3rd March 2008
Internet paedophiles are trying to groom young children by contacting them online via their mobile phones.
Police are investigating several reports that children in Oxfordshire have been contacted by paedophiles posing as youngsters through the web on their mobiles.
Meanwhile, an online pervert who approached a child who was playing on an Xbox computer games console via a broadband connection has been reported to police in the area.
Police have admitted it is a "growing problem" and are sending out a message to parents to be aware of the issue.
Det Sgt Duncan Wynn, of the Thames Valley Police High Tech Crime Unit in Kidlington, which targets online paedophiles, said parents must be aware improved Internet capability on their child's phones could leave them in danger.
DS Wynne said: "We have several investigations ongoing at the moment whereby alleged grooming offences were made by contact on mobile phones.
"It is a growing concern. We have had matters reported where children received messages from people they think to be friends, or people they did not know, but they have been people attempting to groom children.
"We have been expecting a shift towards offending on mobile devices over the past six months and have the technology in place to deal with that.
"Now the technology is available for kids to have the Internet on the school bus and it will be much harder for parents to monitor their child's Internet use when not on the home computer.
"A child with free access to the Internet via their mobile phone makes them vulnerable. They are also more secretive with mobile devices and it exposes them to danger."
Often first contact is made in chatrooms which youngsters use and which can now be accessed on a mobile handset.
Ten-year-old Joe Bates, of Abingdon, was sent pornographic video clips by an anonymous BlueTooth user to his new mobile phone last year. BlueTooth allows people to send messages over a short distance to other mobile handsets.
His father Chris Bates said: "It's neverending how these paedophiles try and get in touch with children. It sends a shiver down my spine to think what they are doing."
DS Wynn did not want to comment on how many reports have been made to police in Oxfordshire, but added over the past six months the problem had increased. He stressed it remained very rare.
Police have found evidence during raids that paedophiles are moving away from contact via the Internet on home computers to pay as you go mobile phones which they believe are difficult to trace, DS Wynn explained.
Experts are now warning parents to be vigilant and to monitor their child's mobile phone Internet use and who they are speaking to.
Parents are also being urged to question the need for their children to have Internet capability on their phones and warn their youngsters of the dangers.
Will Gardener, of Internet watchdog ChildNet, said paedophiles were known to contact children on computers then get hold of their mobile phone numbers and even buy their victims credit.
He said: "Now with mobile phone Internet it allows them to do it all on the one device. It's much harder for parents to supervise mobile phone Internet access."