NATIONAL CYBERTIPLINE MARKS 10 YEARS OF OPERATION
News & Events NEWS RELEASE Monday March 10, 2008 Contact: Communications Department (703) 837-6111 media@ncmec.org NATIONAL CYBERTIPLINE MARKS 10 YEARS OF OPERATION More than 570,000 Reports Allege Sex Crimes Involving Children ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The CyberTipline, www.cybertipline.com, the nation’s system for reporting suspected sexual exploitation of children will celebrate 10 years of operation this week. Operated by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), the CyberTipline has processed more than 570,000 reports of sex crimes against children, some as young as two weeks old. Estimates are that 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 10 boys will be sexually victimized in some way before they reach the age of 18. NCMEC-funded research reports that 1 in 7 children who are regular Internet users are sexually solicited online. Created by Congress in 1998, the CyberTipline serves as the nation’s online “911” for reporting suspected child pornography and other sexual exploitation crimes against children. It is staffed by dedicated personnel in NCMEC’s Exploited Child Division (ECD) who analyze and develop the leads, which are then referred to law enforcement for investigation and prosecution. The CyberTipline operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Since it was created, NCMEC has observed a dramatic increase in the number of reports received. “In the first 10 months of operation, the CyberTipline received a total of 4,500 reports,” said NCMEC President and CEO Ernie Allen. “For the 12 months during 2007, that number exploded to 105,000. The increase in the number of reports of child pornography and online sexual solicitation of children is alarming. The child pornography images we are receiving are more violent and the victims much younger, even infants.” In addition to the reports received by the general public, the CyberTipline also receives reports from the U.S. based Electronic Service Providers (ESPs). Each individual report may involve several dozen or even hundreds of images. To date, ESPs have reported more than 5 million images of child pornography to the CyberTipline. CyberTipline Statistics Reports to the CyberTipline are organized into seven categories: Child Pornography; Child Prostitution; Child Sex Tourism; Child Sexual Molestation; Online Enticement of Children for Sexual Acts; Unsolicited Obscene Material Sent to a Child; and Misleading Domain Name. According to NCMEC, the possession, manufacture and/or distribution of child pornography has remained the highest reporting category representing 87% or approximately 497,000 reports. The breakdown for the remaining six categories included: Online Enticement of Children for Sexual Acts- 35,221 reports; Child Sexual Molestation – 13,906 reports; Misleading Domain Name – 6,787 reports; Child Prostitution – 6,343 reports; Unsolicited Obscene Material Sent to a Child – 6,338 reports, and Child Sex Tourism – 2,691 reports. Comparison of CyberTipline Reports for 1998 and 2007 Type of Report/1998 Reports (3/10 - 12/ 31)/2007 Reports(1/1-12/31) Child Pornography/ 3,267 /83,959 Child Prostitution/ 142 /1,821 Child Sex Tourism/ 79 /655 Child Sexual Molestation/ (not in the family) 365/ 2,523 Online Enticement of Children for Sexual Acts/ 707/ 11,422 Unsolicited Obscene Material Sent to a Child/ NA*/ 1,920 Misleading Domain Name/ NA** /2,961 TOTAL REPORTS: 4,560 /105,261 * This category was added in 2002 to reflect reports received. **This category was added in 2004 to reflect reports received. CyberTipline Success Stories Many reports to the CyberTipline have resulted in the arrest and successful prosecution of thousands of offenders worldwide. One recent report from an ESP to the CyberTipline has led to the identification and arrest of a 55-year-old California man, charged with sexually molesting his six-year-old daughter live via webcam. Using the information provided and a still image of the sexual abuse, an ECD analyst searched online photo albums for matching physical characteristics, including a convicted sex offender registry. Further analysis of his tattoos and background confirmed that he was a registered convicted sex offender living in California. Within hours of receiving the CyberTipline report, Sherriff’s Deputies executed a search warrant at the suspect’s home, where he surrendered to police and confessed to molesting his two young daughters. Both girls were home schooled by the suspect, who rarely allowed them to leave the residence. The girls are reportedly doing well in foster care. The suspect is charged with his third felony conviction in California and is facing a possible sentence of 25 years to life. In another case, a concerned father in Oregon reported to the CyberTipline that his 13- year-old daughter was having an inappropriate email relationship with a 32-year-old male. The father submitted the emails between the suspect and his daughter, which revealed graphic comments about the girl’s body and the suspect’s desire to engage in sexual activity. The suspect included reminders that the relationship was “their little secret,” and encouraged her to delete the messages. ECD analysts reviewed the information and determined that a meeting was planned between the suspect and teenager. Law Enforcement was notified, and the suspect was arrested at a local park possessing both condoms and gifts for the young teen. The suspect was charged with attempted second degree sodomy and first degree attempted sexual abuse. Anyone who believes a child is being sexually assaulted or exploited is asked to contact the NCMEC CyberTipline at www.cybertipline.com or 1-800-843-5678 immediately. ### About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® NCMEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more than 130,300 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 112,900 children. For more information about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its web site at www.missingkids.com. http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/NewsEventServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=3549