Look Both Ways

The Victim Grooming Process

The essential tool a predator uses in grooming a victim is one of building up trust. The victim wants somebody to listen to him or her, to understand any self-doubts, to reassure them that they are beautiful, smart, or capable of being popular. To further ingratiate themselves, predators learn their victim’s habits, likes, and dislikes and gain their confidence by pretending to share them.

The grooming process also frequently involves giving gifts. By sending gifts to the victim, a predator flatters and makes the victim feel special and somehow indebted.

Think About It

Like offline predators, most individuals attempting to exploit children through the Internet tend to gradually seduce their targets through the use of attention, ...