Son received a video call from a pervert.

[JamesZebra]

Earlier this evening my 13 year old son received a video call from an number he didn't recognise on WhatsApp.
The man didn't speak but was masturbating. When my son hung up he proceeded to call back. I answered this time and shouted/swore at him but he carried on so I blocked the number and I called the police.

They are coming out to speak to the kids tomorrow (his younger sister unfortunately saw everything too as they were watching youtube together at the time)

I can't get it out of my head that they have been exposed to this. It's really upset them both. My son was scared that the man would come and find him or could see him through his camera. I have tried to reassure him and my DP is going to go through his phone in the morning and make sure all the privacy settings are correct/that he is safe. I think perhaps I have been a bit naive, I thought he could only be contacted on there by people who were on his contact list but it turns out this isn't the case.

Just needed a bit of support as I feel awful about it. I thought we had the safety stuff covered but clearly missed something.

Ah dear, how awful for them to be exposed to that. Poor things.
I guess this is a chance for you to all talk about keeping safe online now though.

There is a website called common sense media that Has parent guides to different games and apps. Might be worth taking a look at that and reading about the specific apps and games your children have. I think it’s hard for parents to monitor apps etc when children know more about them than us!

I hope the police can help reassure you all in some way.

The call appears to be from a foreign number so I think there is little they can practically do but hopefully their presence will reassure the kids.
Just feel sick about the whole thing

I will definitely take a look at that website and talk it through with the kids.

I’m sorry your children have been exposed to this. It’s likely that the police will refer this case to CEOP. There are lots of paths to pursuing these offenders internationally, and they use the same techniques we use to track transnational terror to locate and investigate paedophiles. That’s great, as these are the most advanced tools available.

If you’re at all worried the police won’t investigate properly or pass it on, there is no harm in doing on online report on the CEOP website. They’re a great team, and someone will confirm details with you.

Blocking the number may, sadly, not be enough now they have that number and know children have access. I would recommend changing the sim, and putting the existing one in another phone you keep so you can work with the police to track any ongoing issues. Phone cameras are a vulnerable area for security. For the peace of mind, I’d suggest attaching a small sliding cover. Using physical security is something that cannot be overridden technologically, and allows them flexibility to use the camera when desired. They’re fairly cheap on amazon.

Sadly, these people are everywhere. Your willingness to protect your children by taking important safety steps means you’re doing a great job as a parent. If you have further questions about securing the device, I’ll try and answer as best I can!

@sergeilavrov thank you for your reply. I have ordered some of the sliding camera covers - they look great. I think that will really give my son peace of mind as he is scared he is being watched.
I still feel really sick that it happened. The police have been really good and it's just a wake up call for all of us that we need to stay on top of staying safe online.

@JamesZebra Did you make any progress with the police/CEOP? Wanted to check in and see how you’re doing. This can really get in your head, and I think you’ve done the right thing in immediately contacting the police.