URGENT WARNING!! Web Sites Raise Concerns About Pedophiles
Web Sites Raise Concerns About Pedophiles Web Sites Post Kids For Rent POSTED: 3:11 pm PDT October 14, 2005 UPDATED: 4:17 pm PDT October 14, 2005 SAN DIEGO -- There's a new warning for parents regarding the Internet. Advocates say child molesters are using a new lure to snare young victims. It used to be child molesters would lure children with puppies and candy -- even a little pocket change. But, pedophiles are now using technology to lure children and their parents. Jilll, from Madison, Wis., is 17. She doesn't drink but said she's still fun at parties. 12-year-old Melissa, in San Diego, likes making unattractive boys feel comfortable. 9-year-old Zach in Miami likes spending afternoons with single men who are trying to attract women at father-son events. Not exactly testimonials in a school year book. These are ads on a pair of Web sites -- www.RentMySon.com and www.RentMyDaugther.com. "A certified child rental agency" according to the site, encouraging parents to cash in on their kids. "Any pedophile will look at that and say, 'I have a new way of getting at the children,'" Marisa Ugarte, with the Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition, said. Ugarte oversees an agency that fights human trafficking and said the Web sites are filled with lies. The Web site shows a San Diego corporate office. The address is 1350 Front Street -- no corporate center at all, it's the state office building. 10News finds another address for Childnet, near Del Mar. It's a condo complex and no Childnet services are there either. Even kids for rent posted on the Web site are phonies, 10News reported. Like Piper, in Albany, NY, who is with girl scouts, said the ad. But the Albany Girl Scout Council told 10News they've never seen this girl and don't have any girls named Piper, going as far back as 1999. "From the very surface this site is unreliable. I wouldn't trust it at all," Sgt. David Jones, with Internet Crimes Against Children, said. Jones said the sites are often used as bait gathering information about future victims. "If a preferential offender has names, pictures (and) ages, he will strike up a relationship and lure victims based on that information," Jones said. Ugarte agreed. "That pedophile already has the address and is communicating with your child and the next thing your child is going to disappear," Ugarte said. Just the mention of the child rental Web sites strikes fear in parents and teens. "I can't believe they would rent kids -- it's scary," teenager Tyler Mutter said. "They need to go to jail. Our children need to be protected," mother Leanne Burgess said. But Jones said victims must complain first. "Do I have concerns about this Web site? Yes. Do I have something to begin a criminal investigation? No," Jones said. Despite complaints from a concerned public, law enforcement nationwide, has yet to receive any criminal complaints, 10News reported. Until they do, the Web site can stay. A technical problem on the site prevents new subscribers from signing on. To report a missing or exploited child, or to express concerns about Internet crimes, click on www.missingkids.com. If you want more information locally, you can contact the Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition at sdbscc@yahoo.com. 10 News California