sexual-predators Archives | The Trench Reynolds Report

Are your kids in danger from predators while playing Fortnite?

Posted by Trench Reynolds on September 30, 2018

If you’re not familiar with Fortnite, it’s the most popular video game going right now. It started out as a really bad zombie survival game, then it ripped off a better game, PUBG, and became the sensation it is today. Fortnite is what’s called a battle royale game. Basically, 100 players are dropped into a map and the last surviving team or player wins. The main reason why Fortnite is eating PUBG’s lunch and why it’s so popular is that Fortnite is free to play.

Recently, a big deal was made about sexual predators being on Frotnite because, in New Jersey, a number of online predators were arrested in an online sting. It became a big deal when it was reported that some of the predators may have been grooming their victims through games like Minecraft and Fortnite. While it wasn’t reported how many of these predators were allegedly using Fortnite, since it’s the most popular game right now, Fortnite was very prevalent in most of the headlines talking about this sting.

So, that takes us back to the headline’s question. Are your kids in danger from predators while playing Fortnite? Well, yes and no. Fortnite is as about as dangerous as any other online utility that your kids use. Do I think it’s a pedophile playground like messaging app Kik? I don’t think it’s even close, but since Fortnite is where all the kids are, odds are there will be a predator here and there.

As a parent, you should treat online games just like you would social media. Know who is on your kid’s friends list. Make sure they’re not chatting with someone they don’t know in the real world. Most importantly be honest with them that not every person they may talk to on the internet has their best interest in mind.

FBI issues warning about Yellow app

Posted by Trench Reynolds on February 13, 2017

I initially posted about the app Yellow here. At the time of that posting I said that it reminded me of Omegle because it encouraged users to make new friends on Snapchat, you know, as in random strangers. Since that time it seems that Yellow has upped its game and turned into an almost duplicate clone of the infamous dating app Tinder. You swipe right for people you like and left for those that you don’t.

The problem with Yellow, as is with most apps, is there’s no real verification of identity, and anybody can enter any age they want. This has caused the FBI to issue a warning about the app stating that it is being used by predators. While I personally have yet to hear about an arrest made because of Yellow, that’s not to say it hasn’t happened.

I installed the app, and at first I entered my correct age upon installation, and it only allowed me to view people only as young as 18. While creepy for someone of my age, it’s still legal. However, when I reinstalled the app and entered my age as being 14, it allowed me to view the profiles of any of its users that are underage. You don’t even need a Snapchat account to use Yellow anymore.

I know it’s tough for parents to keep up with every app on their kids’ smart phones but I would recommend that parents keep their eyes out for this one. Again, I’ve included a picture of the app’s icon at right. Yep, as of right now, it’s just a yellow box.

If you think there’s no harm to your kids sharing pictures online remember this: it doesn’t take much information gleaned from the pictures of your kids for predators to find out where they live or go to school. All it takes is something as innocent as picture of them in a soccer uniform or having something with their school colors in the background of the picture, and those are only two examples.

While it has yet to reach the absurd levels of predators like Kik, if the FBI is worried about Yellow then so am I, and so should you if you have children.

Tag: sexual-predators