[June 29, 2011] Authorities say man hasn't committed a crime, but his actions are typical of 'grooming' behavior Tweet Jun 27, 2011 (KCPQ/KMYQ-TV - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- BAINBRIDGE ISLAND -- It's every parents cyber-nightmare -- an Internet predator stalking young boys. A mother on Bainbridge Island says her son was targeted by a man half a world away who was using social media. Facebook is one of the most popular sites on the Internet and connects friends all over the world, but it can also be a portal for adult predator looking for their next target. That's what appears to be happening here. Although police say this mystery man, allegedly from Italy, hasn't done anything wrong, but parents should take steps to protect their children. Q13FOX News is not identifying him because he hasn't committed a crime. He has hundreds of friends, the vast majority of them young boys and more than 60 of them are from Western Washington. Dee Johnson says she found out the 29-year-old man had friended her 12-year-old son while she was routinely monitoring his Facebook page and the man tried to chat. "This person was so persistant that I decided to go in and see who he was and right away I knew that he wasn't someone that should be friends with my son," Dee Johnson. She immediately started to investigate more and what she found still has her shaken. "I had to walk away from the computer and try to calm down for a few minutes and not let myself throw up or over react." Using an English translation program, the man apparently scours Facebook looking for young boys, then looks at their friends list to make a connection by mentioning names the boys know and a chain reaction begins. "Because of the nature of it, it almost spreads like a virus, contact virus, person to person because he is using friend lists," Johnson said. She added that the man in Italy "tries to look for places in their lives with their parents or school or wherever where they have some breakdown, some door in where he can make a bond with them." There is often a common pattern among predators. Commander Sue Shultz of the Bainbridge Island Police Department said predators engage their potential victims by "convincing them they are a friend that they are willing to listen, that they care about them. They're supportive when the child maybe feels that no one else in their life is supportive." Bainbridge Island Police and the FBI Cybercrimes Unit are on the case, but so far, it appears the man has done nothing wrong although he did send this carefully worded message to one boy: "Would you like to come to Rome come see Italy but it cost a lot of money." Police say it is classic behavior called "grooming" often used by pedophiles. "The goal of a groomer is to get a young child to trust them and become a victim," said Shultz. Johnson urges parents to check their child's friends list and defriend unfamiliar people their child doesn't know, and in some cases, block the person all together. The man's Facebook page has a profile picture of a cartoon drawing of a man holding a pizza. Parents are also urged to monitor their child's computer usage no matter what social networking sites they visit. "Just a warning to parents. it's not innocent. It's not harmless. It's there and you have to be involved," Johnson said. Facebook isn't the only place where kids are being targeted. The FBI's Cybercrimes Unit tells Q13FOX News that they're monitoring Twitter accounts and other social media sites for predators looking for victims, as well. Last week, for example, a disturbing site targeting young girls was taken down after other Tweeters started complaining. To see more of KCPQ/KMYQ-TV, go to http://www.q13fox.com/. Copyright (c) 2011, KCPQ/KMYQ-TV, Seattle Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]