Child Predator Tactics

Hosted By Chris Parker

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Chris PARKER

Host

Seth
Cockerham

Expert Guest
  • Updated on October 15, 2025
“As much as you want to be your kid’s friend, the most important thing for you to do is be a parent to them.” - Seth Cockerham Share on X

Kids spend more time online than ever, and for the most part it feels normal. They’re gaming, watching videos, and chatting with friends. But hidden in those same spaces are adults who know how to pose as kids, build trust, and push conversations into dangerous territory. Parents might think it couldn’t happen to their child, yet detectives see how quickly an “innocent” interaction can turn into grooming or extortion.

That’s the world Detective Seth Cockerham works in every day. He’s been in law enforcement in Texas for close to a decade, and the last few years have been dedicated to investigating crimes against children. He talks about these cases with both the eye of an investigator and the heart of a parent, because he knows what it’s like to raise kids in a world where technology isn’t going away.

Seth explains how predators move kids off kid-friendly apps into spaces parents can’t easily monitor, what behaviors should make families pay attention, and why kids often keep things to themselves. He also shares what has worked in his own home like parental control tools, early conversations about boundaries, and making sure his daughters know they can come to him about anything. At the end of the day, his message is simple: if your child says something feels wrong, take it seriously.

“As long as there’s a chatting ability and they’re able to communicate with kids in any form or fashion, they’re going to be on that app.” - Seth Cockerham Share on X

Show Notes:

  • [01:07] Seth explains his path into law enforcement and how he moved into child crime investigations.
  • [02:24] Why drowning and neglect cases motivated him to take a deeper role in protecting kids.
  • [04:05] The personal impact of working child abuse cases and balancing it as a parent.
  • [05:30] How predators go where kids are online, from YouTube to gaming platforms with chat features.
  • [07:00] Grooming tactics predators use, often pretending to be the same age to build trust.
  • [07:40] Grooming can escalate in hours or take weeks, with predators moving kids to apps like Snapchat.
  • [10:39] AI filters sometimes detect inappropriate content, but predators still find ways around it.
  • [11:52] Behavioral changes are often the first signs kids are being exploited or manipulated online.
  • [14:10] Why some kids go to police instead of parents and how Seth builds trust with families.
  • [16:47] Most child abuse cases involve someone the child already knows; online cases are often strangers.
  • [18:20] International predators make prosecutions harder, especially in sextortion cases.
  • [21:08] Managing families’ expectations when investigations take longer than TV shows portray.
  • [23:55] Fastest time Seth has moved from a report to an arrest in an online case.
  • [24:14] Common traits of perpetrators, often highly tech-savvy with strong knowledge of systems.
  • [26:46] The parental control tools Seth uses at home, including the Bark phone for his kids.
  • [29:30] How to reset boundaries with older kids and use resources like NetSmartz for education.
  • [32:37] Seth’s advice to kids: never send selfies to strangers, don’t believe threats, tell a trusted adult.
  • [33:39] His warning about sextortion: paying money never works, it only leads to more demands.
  • [36:20] Resources for victims include counseling through advocacy centers and photo removal tools.
  • [37:20] Seth’s key takeaway: listen to your kids and take their concerns seriously.
“Listen to your kids. If they tell you, ‘Hey, I don’t want to go see grandpa anymore because he makes me uncomfortable,’ don’t laugh it off. Don’t say, ‘Oh, you’ll get over it.’ Ask why, and listen to your kids in all aspects of… Share on X

Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. 

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Transcript:

About Your Host

Chris Parker

Chris Parker is the founder of WhatIsMyIPAddress.com, a tech-friendly website attracting a remarkable 13,000,000 visitors a month. In 2000, Chris created WhatIsMyIPAddress.com as a solution to finding his employer’s office IP address. Today, WhatIsMyIPAddress.com is among the top 3,000 websites in the U.S. 

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PODCAST reviews

Excellent Podcast

Chris Parker has such a calm and soothing voice, which is a wonderful accompaniment for the kinds of serious topics that he covers. You want a soothing voice as you’re learning about all the ways the bad guys out there are desperately trying to take advantage of us, and how they do cleverly find new and more devious ways each day! It’s a weird world out there! Don’t let your guard down, this podcast will give you some explicit directions!

MTracey141

Required Listening

Somethings are required reading – this podcast should be required listening for anyone using anything connected in the current world.

Apple Podcasts User

Fascinating stuff!

I've listened to quite of few of these podcasts now. Some of the topics I wouldn't have given a second look, but the interviewees have always been very interesting and knowledgeable. Fascinating stuff!

Apple Podcasts User

Excellent Show

Excellent interview. Don't give personal information over the phone … it can be abused in countless ways

George Jenson

Interesting

I've listened to quite of few of these podcasts now. Some of the topics I wouldn't have given a second look, but the interviewees have always been very interesting and knowledgeable. Fascinating stuff!

User22

Content, content, content!

Chris provides amazing content that everyone needs to hear to better protect themselves and learn from other’s mistakes to stay safe!

CaigJ3189

New Favorite Podcast!

Entertaining, educational and I cannot 
get enough! I am excited for more phenomenal content to come and this is sthe only podcast I check frequently to see if a new episode has rolled out.

brandooj

Big BIG ups!

What Chris is doing with this podcast is something that isn’t just desirable, but needed – everyone using the internet should be listening to this! Our naivete is constantly being used against us when we’re online; the best way to combat this is by arming the masses with the information we need to stay wary and keep ourselves safe. Big, BIG ups to Chris for putting the work in for us.

Riley
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