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From the local news...
A teenager is abducted by an online predator who is now threatening to take him out of the country. His father, using a webcam sees his son with duct tape over his mouth, held against his will by a strange man.
That's what happens in a computer game called "Missing," but it very well could be the real thing. Just ask Rick Nawazelski, the safety officer for the Hanson Middle School.
"In the past, a predator could go to a beach or a playground and it would take months to gain the trust of a child," he says. "Now, it only takes a couple of weeks building trust with words online in a chat room. It's scary."
That's why every seventh grader at the Hanson Middle School is trained on this game. Students see how easily Zack, an unhappy 14-year-old is lured away from home through a chat room. He ends up in California involved in illegal activities, including a child abuse ring.
"You see these kids being abused. I was shocked to see that. I was very scared," says Tim Canon. And scared they should be because this can happen anywhere.
"In the past three months, local law enforcement have arrested at least three individuals who have gone on line and talked to what they believed to be 13-year-old girls and have actually gone for a meeting." says Plymouth County district attorney Timothy Cruz.
In the game, students must play detective and help authorities find Zack before it's too late. The game happens to have a happy ending, but students learn that may not be the case in real life.
"A couple of people tried to IM me that I don't know, but I block them or I just sign off," says Rachel Sloan, a seventh-grader.
"I don't think I fully understood that simply by talking to someone you don't know, they could gain your trust and you could confide things in them you shouldn't," says Samantha Mewis.
"MISSING" is based on a true story. It is available free-of-charge to schools and police departments. Parents can obtain the game from WebWiseKids.com for $35.
A teenager is abducted by an online predator who is now threatening to take him out of the country. His father, using a webcam sees his son with duct tape over his mouth, held against his will by a strange man.
That's what happens in a computer game called "Missing," but it very well could be the real thing. Just ask Rick Nawazelski, the safety officer for the Hanson Middle School.
"In the past, a predator could go to a beach or a playground and it would take months to gain the trust of a child," he says. "Now, it only takes a couple of weeks building trust with words online in a chat room. It's scary."
That's why every seventh grader at the Hanson Middle School is trained on this game. Students see how easily Zack, an unhappy 14-year-old is lured away from home through a chat room. He ends up in California involved in illegal activities, including a child abuse ring.
"You see these kids being abused. I was shocked to see that. I was very scared," says Tim Canon. And scared they should be because this can happen anywhere.
"In the past three months, local law enforcement have arrested at least three individuals who have gone on line and talked to what they believed to be 13-year-old girls and have actually gone for a meeting." says Plymouth County district attorney Timothy Cruz.
In the game, students must play detective and help authorities find Zack before it's too late. The game happens to have a happy ending, but students learn that may not be the case in real life.
"A couple of people tried to IM me that I don't know, but I block them or I just sign off," says Rachel Sloan, a seventh-grader.
"I don't think I fully understood that simply by talking to someone you don't know, they could gain your trust and you could confide things in them you shouldn't," says Samantha Mewis.
"MISSING" is based on a true story. It is available free-of-charge to schools and police departments. Parents can obtain the game from WebWiseKids.com for $35.
