Winnipeg police have recently investigated seven cases of online predators who lure children through gaming consoles, a problem that is often undetected and under-reported.
Det.-Sgt. Darren Oleksiuk of the Winnipeg Police Service’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit said police are made aware of new cases of luring through online gaming each month and have investigated seven recently.
All but one involved a Winnipeg child interacting with a suspected predator in the United States.
CBC contacted several police organizations across Canada. While many indicated they were aware of cases, none would share details.
Searches of court files found three cases of predators luring children through online games, leading to arrests in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Trois Rivieres, Que. and St. John’s, N.L.
Signy Arnason, the director of Cybertip.ca, said the organization has warned parents about predators using gaming consoles to contact children since 2005.
Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2013/04/01/mb-online-luring-children-winnipeg.html