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Romance Scams have created more than $105 BILLION dollars in losses for the year ending 2024. Almost every victim of a romance scam would have sworn that it would not happen to them. Most people think they will know if they are being taken in by someone they have never met. What few of us realize is that the predators are out there in numbers we cannot even imagine, and they are very good at making you feel special.

Romance Scams h...

The following may contain sensitive topics, listener discretion is advised.

For the past few years, the Million Kids Team has explored the challenges related to global financial sextortion of our kids. It is truly a pandemic with many victims and many kids who pay the ultimate price. One of the discussions we have had is centered around the role that schools and educators can or should play in prevention and intervention of sextort...

In August 2024, the Million Kids research team came across an article that discussed a case where five 8th grade boys in a Beverly Hills Middle School were expelled for creating and sharing deep fake nude photos of female classmates. In this situation, the students accessed “nudify” apps and used the software programs to super impose the faces of their classmates on images that were nude or sexual in nature.

The article indicates t...

Warning: This podcast explores subjects that may be sensitive to some. If you or someone you know is in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US) or a local mental health professional.

This podcast looks at how people in developing countries, access, groom and exploit U.S. teenagers and exploit them to the point of abuse and sometimes suicide. It is called “Financial Sextortion”, and it is one of the fastest growing...

Warning: This podcast explores the impact of suicide in the context of financial sextortion. If you are experiencing thoughts of self-harm, we encourage you to seek help—support is available. If you or someone you know is in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US) or a local mental health professional.

For the past two years, the team of researchers at MillionKids.org has followed the heart breaking trend where e...

UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF GLOBAL MONEY TRANSFER IN FINANCIAL SEXTORTION SCHEMES IMPACTING TEENS AND ADULTS. Recently, our team of researchers at Million Kids saw two completely different articles about criminal online exploitation scams involving large payouts of money that were generated out of the country and impacted U.S citizens. One had the headline: “I lost $1M to a romance scam” and the other was the announcement of the arre...

CSAM (Child S*x Abuse Materials, formerly known as "child p*rn") is one of the most prolific underground crimes of our generation. Most people don’t understand it, and many people don’t want to look at it or acknowledge it. The reality is that it is truly horrific, traumatic and for most of us it is downright disgusting. But we cannot look the other way. A child’s whole life is at stake.

CSAM happens when a pedophile (or...

The Take It Down Act will protect victims of digital exploitation, hold internet platforms accountable by requiring them to remove such imagery from their platform and provide justice for victims by allowing prosecutors to go after those who publish nonconsensual explicit images online," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters (as reported in USA Today Network).

May 19th President Donald Trump signed a bill...

Many apps are classified as mass audience live streaming and that includes Discord, TikTok, Byte, Like, Snapchat and Instagram. In many of these apps you can create a live stream where you are in real time with your audience allowing for immediate engagement. A lot of the gaming platforms also allow for live interaction with the other players. In both cases you are exposed to thousands of individuals you probably don't know. Th...

Our world has experienced a technological transformation unlike anything we have ever seen in history. Right after the Covid Pandemic, we began to see announcements about how the entire world is now connected by 5G high speed internet. It is estimated that there are now over 5.5 Billion Internet users around the globe. Think about the impact! That means your children are the first generation in all of history that can reach the e...

The crime of sextortion has been around for nearly two decades. Historically sextortion involved someone being tricked and coerced into sending a nude or illicit image, video or sharing an explicit live stream. There were many different variations of sextortion and driving influencers. Sometimes it was an individual pedophile that wanted to own/control their victim and even meet up to exploit the victim. Then we saw sextortion incr...

THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PODCAST ANY PARENT CAN LISTEN TO AND A CALL TO ACTION. Our world has "tilted" and nobody noticed. Million Kids has been combating sextortion since 2010. Initially, we dealt with kids who sent nudes, or who bullied others who had sent a nude. Occasionally, it would be a case of 'revenge porn" where to lovers took photos during a hot moment and then broke up with the revengeful party thre...

Every day it seems I witness young kids playing online and I wonder if the adult in their lives have any idea the danger that child is in. Most parents that hand a young child a device mean well and they say to themselves, "I will keep an eye on them" and "I am sure my child will tell me if something is wrong". It is well meaning and they are not bad parents. However, few parents understand how pedophiles acces...

This is the third podcast in a series of three about understanding how pedophiles and predators seduce kids and adults online.  With artificial intelligence technology surrounding us at ever turn, it is more critical than ever for parents, grandparents, educators, social workers etc tounderstand the art of online grooming.

 First, it is good to understand who the predators are and why they want to exploit an innocent person.  Think ...

This is the second in a three part series related to understanding how predators, pedophiles and organized criminals access, groom, recruit and seduce young people.  The grooming process is an artform used by criminalsto manipulate unsuspecting individuals into sending nudes, meeting up or take control of their lives.  

 Online grooming works because the Internet seems like a surreal environment where the victims are unable to visua...

HOW ARE PREDATORS ABLE TO SEDUCE A TOTAL STRANGER INTO AN ACTIVITY THAT WILL FOREVER COMPROMISE THEIR FUTURE?Online seduction is an interesting idea. Everyday, thousands of victims around the globe fall prey to online seduction. Sometimes, in only a matter of minutes. Think about this... can you imagine a 15 year old guy who meets a 15 year old girl in the mall and they go into the bathroom, strip naked, and take photos and exchang...

This is a must watch or listen to for every parent and caregiver out there with kids on social media or the Internet. Do you know what sextortion is, how it happens, and who is vulnerable? Do you know how to protect your family and what to do if your child comes to you because they are being sextorted? We have had too many kids impacted already, some with devastating consequences, and it needs to stop. This is an ongoing series tha...

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Million Kids is a public benefit 501c 3 that has trained hundreds of thousands of individuals, leaders, parents and grandparents about how to stay safe online and not become a victim of sexual exploitation. For the past eight years, Million Kids has shared stories of prevention and intervention...