SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane police are warning parents about a rise in online predators targeting local children, prompting a new community education campaign focused on digital safety.
The Spokane Police Department is partnering with the Spokane Regional Health District and the FBI on a Child Internet Safety Education Campaign in response to increased reports of children falling victim to online exploitation. The agencies are hosting focus groups at libraries across the county to raise awareness and gather feedback from parents.
Detective Tim Schwering with the Spokane Police Department discovered the increase while investigating cryptocurrency cases that revealed connections to dark web transactions and ransom payments to online predators.
“We are talking Roblox. We are talking Minecraft. There is communications platforms in those applications or in those games where they will meet people online and they will think it is 13-year-old girl out of Ohio, but it is actually a 55-year-old man in California,” Schwering said.
Police say the suspects are primarily targeting children between ages 7 and 17 through popular gaming platforms and social media apps. The predators often engage in what officials call “sextortion” — obtaining photos from minors and then using them to threaten and manipulate children.
Schwering said in some cases, the suspects coerce children to harm themselves, harm family pets, or even make swatting threats. Police say some of the people involved are tied to what they call “nihilistic violent extremists” whose goal is to obtain compromising material and use it for manipulation.
The problem extends beyond Spokane. National reports of online enticement toward children rose to nearly 520,000 in 2025, roughly 80 percent higher than the previous year.
“You want to protect the people who can’t protect themselves. That is the issue. We need to get on this right away, and make sure that we are partnering with different groups, putting the word out there that these things are happening. They are happening here in Spokane,” Schwering said.
The focus groups are designed to gather feedback from 40 local parents and caregivers of children between ages 5 and 18 about online safety messaging. The Spokane Regional Health District is offering $25 gift cards to participants who attend the sessions during late May and early June.
Schwering advises parents to be aware of what their children are doing online, know what games they are playing, understand who they are communicating with, and use parental controls on devices.
The campaign addresses challenges many families face, including language barriers and limited familiarity with technology. The focus groups provide practical guidance for parents on how to start conversations about digital safety with their children.
The last focus group is scheduled for tonight at the Spokane Valley Library from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Police say they plan to continue these presentations for groups that express interest.
Parents who suspect their child may be a victim of online exploitation can report incidents through several channels. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children operates a 24-hour call center at 1-800-THE-LOST and accepts online reports at https://report.cybertip.org/. Local reports can be made through Crime Check as well at 509-456-2233.
Police stress starting conversations about digital safety early is important since these threats can affect anyone with a device and internet access.
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