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Authorities report 30% increase in tips about online crimes involving children

Published  May 18, 2020 2:35pm CDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 9

(FOX 9) - Officials said that over the last two months, they've seen an increase in tips about suspected criminal online activity involving children.

According to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, officials have seen a 30% increase in tips over the last two months, as more children shift to online learning and socializing.

Officials offered tips to protect your family against online criminals:

  • Scrub your social media of anything too personal/revealing and don’t send/share explicit images – once you share a photo – even if it only appears for a few seconds – you can no longer control it.
  • Use your privacy settings and don’t accept just anyone as a friend. If you don’t know one of your contacts or followers, block or delete them.
  • If there is an image of you or your child online, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has a detailed process you can follow to get help removing the image.

To report suspicious online conduct involving children, click here or call 1-800-843-5678. If you or someone you know is being victimized, call the police.