Attempted Abductions
Attempted abductions most often occur on the street while children are walking, biking, or playing outside.
The majority of kidnappings involving of school-age children occur before and after school when children are traveling from home to school and after dinner between 6 – 7 p.m
The Most Common Lure Tactics Include:
- Offering a child a ride
- Offering a child money
- Offering a child treats
- Asking the child questions
- Using an animal to interest the child
Online Enticement Red Flags To Be Aware Of
- Grooming through sexual conversation/role playing
- Asking for explicit images from the child/teen
- Building rapport with compPretending to be younger
- Offering incentives of gifts- money, gas card, food, transportation, place to stay, alcohol or drugs
Generative AI
Generative AI poses significant risks to children, particularly in the context of child exploitation. This technology can create realistic fake images and videos, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM), which can be used by predators to exploit and harm children. Reports indicate a dramatic increase in cases involving AI-generated content.
Over the past two years, NCMEC’s CyberTipline has received more than 70,000 child sexual exploitation reports involving GAI, and the numbers are expected to grow.
If a sexually explicit image of you or someone you know – whether real or GAI-created – is circulating online, NCMEC’s Take It Down service can help. This tool allows individuals to anonymously request the removal of explicit images from participating platforms.
The “Take It Down Act” is a U.S. law enacted on May 19, 2025, aimed at combating the online distribution of non-consensual intimate images and deepfakes. It requires platforms to remove such content within 48 hours of a report from the victim and criminalizes the publication of these images, providing protections for victims, especially minors.
*Source: NCMEC
