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Opal Singleton is the author of a book with the same title that shares about how predators use online relationships to create a false narrative about engaging in a caring and supportive relationships, then using that fantasy to groom and exploit their victims.  The basics of online seduction are still the same but technology transformations have greatly accelerated the access to victims, facilitated payment processes for blackmailers, and artificial intelligence now allows the ability to alter images erotically and begin a blackmail process for completely uninvolved and innocent victims.  

Global technology connections means that cartels around the globe can access, groom, recruit and exploit our kids.  There is an urgent need for parents and grandparents to help teens (and anyone with an online device) to understand how sending ANY kind of image/video or erotic live streaming can change their lives forever.  What looks like a cute young guy/girl can easily be an organized criminal unit consisting of a chatter and a group of thugs looking to destroy their lives forever.  We must educate everyone, that ANYONE WHO IS ASKING FOR A NUDE IS NOT YOUR FRIEND.  

Fear is an interesting emotion.  Fear can be a great motivator or it can paralyze you, or even seduce you into making questionable and knee jerk decisions. With informed and well thought out solutions, fear can keep you safe. Fear can be generated from your own “self talk” like “I am not good enough or I will probably screw this up again”.

With 24 hour news and social media we are bombarded by the minute with fear based headlines. 

Media of all types have perfected a fear based dictionary using familiar phrases like:

A Tragic End

No one is Safe

Deadly car crash.

Celeb speaks out on divorce.

Threatens to ouster

Shuts down production

Inflation is soaring

Cost of living is skyrocketing

Cancer scare

During this weeks show, Opal Singleton examineS the power of fear. We talk about the need to teach our kids the positive and negatives of fear and how to use it wisely in decision processes.  This is especially important for a generation of young people online that will seduced, manipulated and even threatened online.  Making the right decision online, especially in a time of crisis or threats can be the difference in staying safe online or being compromised. 

There is a new phenomenon that will eventually affect most of our lives, and yet it seems to be getting little attention.  We now live our lives on a global level and while that may have many good advantages, it also comes with a high level likelihood that all of us, including our kids will be exposed to global organized criminal organizations without ever leaving our homes.

In the past few months, we have read about thousands of cases where people are being scammed by nefarious telemarketing scams from Mexico, Philippines, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Pakistan.  Few of us understand who they are, how they operate, how to tell if you are talking to a scammer and most important what to do or not do if you become a target of their operations.

This week, Opal will discuss four different cases of overseas telemarketing scammers that has changed peoples lives forever.

Never in our lifetime have we as a society experienced so much change related to technology.  The past two years are unprecedented for a technology transformation.

Over the past twenty-four to thirty-six months, we have watched as new technologies like mass audience live streaming, artificial intelligence, digital currencies, geo location software, and global 5G high speed internet have created global access to our children, and created a technology complexity that challenges even the most tech savvy parent.

During this week's podcast, Opal Singleton discusses a variety of topics, techniques and challenges in creating healthy and informative dialogue about technology with your teenager.  We discuss topics, like: “If your child sent or received a nude image from a someone they know or even a stranger, would they tell you?”.

Tonya Holt is a very special lady who has worked alongside Million Kids for several years in our efforts to keep kids safe from predators. Tonya lives in the Bakersfield, CA area and she and her husband David serve in Oildale at the Church Without Walls. Tonya is a Pastoral Counselor and the area the church serves is rampant with drug use, homelessness and many challenges related to mental health and addiction. Tonya shares her experiences and perspective about how to assist others that may seem challenging to most of us.

Tonya is also a credentialed life & recovery coach, and she shares some ideas for parents in how to interact with young people so they will be able to grow up with good cognitive thinking skills and have empathy for others.

Here is a list of values that Tonya feels is important to have conversations about with your kids. 

Key Things to Teach Kids:

Empathy

Values

What are their Strengths?

Dignity

Respect for themselves

Respect for Others

Intuition

Finding Purpose & Meaning

Adults all over the world ask the same question.  What is it about today’s young people that makes them think it is ok to send a “nude” to a total stranger. 

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reports that they have processed more than 30 million potential reports of online child nudity or sexual abuse materials.  After researching many of those report NCMEC states that they researched around 13,000 cases of online blackmail (sextortion) related to images, videos or live streaming of minors with potentially harmful materials online.

With the onset of Artificial Intelligence (AI), anyone and everyone is at risk of having a perfectly innocent photo of themselves altered in such a way that a pedophile, predator or organized crime can demand a ransom to remove it.  But the scenario becomes exponentially worse if the young person is seduced into sending or sharing an erotic image or live stream.  As the entire world is connected by high speed 5 G internet, criminal individuals and organized crime can access, groom, recruit and exploit any young person in the U.S.

At Million Kids, we have been combating sex trafficking and social media exploitation for nearly 15 years. 

We want to share with young people everywhere the following message...

IF SOMEONE IS ASKING FOR AN IMAGE OR VIDEO OR LIVESTREAM THAT WOULD EMBARRASS YOU OR YOUR FAMILY IF IT WAS SHOWN ON A BILLBOARD IN YOUR HOMETOWN OR SCHOOL –

DON'T DO IT - THEY ARE NOT YOUR FRIEND!

According to California Senator Shannon Grove: “California is a hot bed for human trafficking and consistently ranks number one in cases reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.  Human trafficking is among the world’s fastest growing criminal enterprises and is estimated to be a $150 billion-a-year global industry”. 

Southern California often leads the nation in the number of cases.

After the passage of SB357 introduced by Senator Scott Weiner (D) and signed by Governor Newsom, California has experienced a huge increase in the number of individuals being brought in from other states and countries to solicit for commercial sex on the our streets, This solicitation often takes place in front of businesses, schools and places of worship.  This bill was labeled the California Safer Streets Act, and frankly nothing could have been further from the truth.

Senator Shannon Grove is asking for individuals, organizations and corporations to join with them  to help Sacramento legislators understand and support the effort to make it a felony to solicit, agree to engage in, or engage in any act of commercial sex with a minor.  SB1414

Senator Kelly Seyarto has introduced SB 1219 which will establish the act of loitering in a public place and impeding traffic with the intent to direct or solicit prostitution forms of disorderly conduct. 

Many people are not aware of just how violent and serious sex trafficking is in the Inland Empire.  During this week's show we examine the latest case involving serious injury to young girls that were being coerced and exploited by a now convicted pimp, 35 year old Christian Scott Meeks. 

During the testimony at the sentencing hearing, it was disclosed that Meeks assaulted vulnerable young women who refused to work for him in commercial sex.  Multiple victims testified to having received violent attacks including one victim who said that Meeks beat her so bad she was unconscious.

This case is a great example of the excellent work of the Riverside County Anti Human Trafficking Task Force, led by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and the Riverside County Prosecutors and District Attorney's Office to take a violent menace off the streets and ensure that he is prosecuted and sentenced for very heinous crimes.  Great work!

This week, Opal Singleton has an exceptional guest, Michelle Balderas, Rock Church in San Bernardino.  Together they talk about the plans for an event to educate parents and teens about raising the awareness on the dangers associated with social media. This event is designed to provide breakout sessions for teens and parents from some of the leading experts on human trafficking, social media exploitation, sextortion, self-defense, and technology hazards and safeguards.  Most important, the event will open the eyes of the participants about how to live powerfully and with hope in a world that is experiencing a technology transformation. Participants will leave with knowledge, tools, resources and a message of hope from the Rock Church leaders.  

In this show we continue our series on sharing our research on the latest trend in sextortion schemes that mercilessly target our teens, most are males.  The perpetrators are from third world countries that now have sophisticated high-tech apps, dating sites,  video gaming chat rooms and money transfer capability,  where they can meet kids and seduce them into exchanging illicit images. This is all about making money and lots of it.

 Opal Singleton has been conducting research and comparative studies of these cases, where some of the victims have panicked and taken their own lives.  Once the victim has shared an illicit image the blackmail begins. In some cases, the victim actually sent the money and/or blocked the communication, but the criminals are brutal.  They continue to demand money, suggest the victim should take their own lives, and promise to destroy the victim if they don’t comply.

These cases are heartbreaking.  As technology capabilities expand to poor countries around the globe and as AI will be used to alter images, this type of blackmail will become common place.  It is CRITICAL, that we understand this crime, and educate parents, grandparents and school personnel about how this crime takes place and how to help a potential victim so they are empowered to report and provide information so law enforcement can educate and prosecute predators, even if they are halfway around the world.  Most important, we must prepare our kids so that when they become a victim, they will not panic and make life-changing decisions.

This episode is about young male victims of sextortion. They will panic and take their own lives. In the case of Tevan Tobler, he was being black mailed by a global underground criminal organization from the Ivory Coast.  This trend has and will become more prevalent as the entire world is connected by internet

We are also seeing Al used to alter images and voices to exploit our youth. 

Foster youth are some of the most creative and resilient young people in our communities. They often overcome incredible odds. However, foster youth also face some of the greatest challenges of any one in our society.  Most foster youth experience feelings of abandonment, trauma, and struggle to find the important feeling of inclusion and stability that many of us take for granted.

 This week our guest is Deena Murray.  For many years Deena has provided marketing and events planning services to Million Kids.  Even more awe inspiring is that Deena and her husband Bob, have raised and adopted 12 foster kids.  Deena will share with us some of the challenges in raising foster kids and help all of us understand why foster youth are so vulnerable to becoming victims of trafficking and social media exploitation.

If you want to make a difference in a foster youth's life, consider supporting the Million Kids Foster Youth Bedding Program.  A $50.00 donation will provide a brand new comforter, with matching sheets and a fun toy or decorating item.  Go to MillionKids.org and donate.

Have you ever wondered how some folks seem to be healthy, mature adults with great attitudes and excellent decision-making skills and then others seem fearful, anxious, immature, dominating or extremely negative and seem to make poor choices?  Another scenario is when parents are frustrated and concerned that their child will be easily groomed for sextortion or sex trafficking because they seem needy and dependent on others for happiness and insist on choosing very manipulative relationships.

Life is about choices.  Life is certainly unfair.  Some people seemingly are given everything while others are born into unstable situations where it is a daily challenge just to survive, let alone thrive.  Having worked with thousands of individuals (parents and kids) one thing I have learned is that today is a choice. 

One of the greatest gifts a parent/grandparent can give a child is helping them understand how to make solid cognitive decisions that will be healthy for them and their future.  Every day is a gift. We can choose to be happy. We can choose that we are going to make the most out of each day.  We can choose to be valuable. Once a child understands that self esteem is a decision THEY make, a gift THEY give themselves, they are much more likely to make healthy decisions and will be far more difficult to be recruited or groomed into exploitation.

Human trafficking often strikes us as being rare and extremely and many people  believe that mostly happens in third world countries.  Certainly, it is true that for many third world countries, many people live in poverty and often their children are kidnapped or seduced into situations where they believe everyone will have a better life.

However, human trafficking is also very prevalent in the U.S. and California is most often the number one state for cases.  The victims and perpetrators are diverse in how they operate, but the one thing every case has in common is that victims are exploited in ways that makes it very difficult for them to recover. 

During this show we will talk about the many types of trafficking and pimping.  We will look at family pimping, guerilla pimping, boyfriend pimping, that takes place here in the Inland Empire.  We will also explore how foreign national trafficking is taking place in our communities.  And we will look at how foreign national trafficking is often connected to other crimes including minor labor trafficking, fraudulent credit card trafficking, large scale shop lifting rings, stolen vehicles, and illegal pot grows. 

January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.  Human Trafficking is the commercial exploitation of individuals through force, fraud or coercion. The most common type of trafficking encountered is sex trafficking.  Nearly half of people trafficked in California are U.S. Citizens. However, the foreign-born share of trafficked people has risen dramatically from 36% to 54%.  

For the past ten years, Million Kids has served as the Training and Outreach Coordinator for the Riverside County (Sheriff) Anti Human Trafficking Task Force (RCAHT).  We believe it is important to educate parents and teens about how predators access, groom, recruit and exploit unsuspecting young people. 

As we prepare for 2024, we are all acutely aware that our world and nation is in a place that most of us have never known before.  Nations around the globe are at war. Our own country is literally without borders and we wonder how long we can remain a sovereign nation as millions of unknown people from all over the world enter our country.  As we look around or read social media it seems that homelessness is everywhere and crime is surging in our stores and neighborhoods. Some times we wonder where this is headed and how it will affect our personal lives.

The "Unknown" has been with us since birth.  It can create anxiety and stress, but it can also be exciting and challenge us to new heights.  The year 2024 will bring opportunities and implore us to find the best in ourselves and others.  It is a time to identify our values as individuals, and as a family.  It is also a time to make a list of all that we are grateful for. 

Million Kids is grateful for each and every one of our followers and supporters.  We appreciate your prayers.  We appreciate your support.  We are excited as we go into the Unknown in 2024.

Cell Phone Forensics Services

Social Media Analysis Services

Million Kids started the Missing Kids program in 2014 and since then we have sent out tens of thousands of flyers and been involved in the location and return of many missing kids.  When a child goes missing, it is one of the most dangerous situations for everyone involved.

Parents feel angry, helpless and frustrated that they do not know how to locate the child. They fear potential situations that the child might be facing.  The missing minor is often in real danger whether they are with someone they met online or trying to find their way out on the street without awareness of just how devastating pimps, pedophiles and predators can change their lives.

Million Kids will be expanding our services for parents who want to have a cell phone analyzed for potential blackmail, negative communications or use of apps or direct messaging that may represent danger to their child. We will also offer a social media analysis services to help parents understand all the social media communications their child is engaging in that might represent danger to themselves or others.

Contact us at info@millionkids.org for more information.

Holidays are important in our lives.  It is a time of assessment, a time to look around us and realize all that we know and love and how much people mean to us. For some, it is a time of seriousness as we miss those that are no longer in our lives. We take stock of what is important and what we would like to change.

Gratitude is one of the most powerful anecdotes to stress and fear. It is the expression of appreciation for what one has.  Not necessarily for what we “possess” but rather a recognition that God has blessed us greatly far beyond what we deserve.  One of the most important values parents and grandparents can instill in their children is the gift of gratitude. 

Sometimes I hear people say the world is becoming a scary place.  Working in a world where we combat sex trafficking and social media exploitation, I could not agree more.     The Federal Trade Commission states that older adults (55-64 yrs. old) lost nearly $139 million in romance scams in 2020. 

Almost daily we hear new dire warnings about protecting ourselves from “deep fakes” created by global predators using AI -artificial intelligence, to alter the image or voice or online content to blackmail and extort innocent individuals all around the world, as technology progresses it is critical to educate our kids (and our parents) about how foreign national criminal organizations will use AI to exploit young and old alike.

What to do if you think you are being blackmailed.

Agree on a family code word so you can verify it is who you think you are reporting to.

Block the app or online access and stop all communication.

Do not alert the potential predator you are going to report it.

Do not delete the photos or videos.  If possible, screen shot them.

Even if the images are embarrassing or incriminating, it is important to save them.

Never pay blackmail money as you will never HAVE enough money to appease them.

Never send money to someone you met online, no matter how legitimate it sounds.

Change all your passwords immediately.

Do not accept emails or text messages from someone you don’t know.

Predators have many personas, email addresses, and ways to impersonate others.

Never click on a link or attachment from someone you don’t know.

Do not send more photos, as the predator will insist on more incriminating materials.

Go immediately to law enforcement and ask to open a report.

Get counseling for yourself and if appropriate other family members including children.

Tell another person what is happening and where you are at all times.

Take extra precautions for your own personal safety. 

According to the California Attorney General’s Office there were on average 450 missing children in Riverside County last year. There are many factors on why teens run away from home including online enticement, bullying, family conflict, pregnancy, to be with a friend or romantic interest, gang involvement, sexual abuse, or lack of acceptance of gender identity or sexual orientation. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children states that 77% of runaways were between 15-17 years old. 

For over ten years, Million Kids has operated Million Kids Missing Kids. This service is designed to assist law enforcement and support families in the first critical hours when a child goes missing. We have sent out millions of flyers and been involved in helping the family locate the victim and in some cases, bringing the child home. This weekend was one of those situations as we assisted a family in another state to help law enforcement to locate and rescue a young lady who went missing. 

Your generous donations make this possible and we thank you.

This week we will talk about why kids leave home and what needs to be done immediately to enlist the publics help in locating your child. Additionally we will talk about just how well you know your child and how to create a social media contract that will help keep your kids safe online so they will not be tempted to meet up with a stranger they met online.  

If you asked your child to name five life values that are important to them, would they be able to do it?  What about yourself?

As a parent, you don’t have to have all the answers, but there is nothing more insightful than an open discussion with your child about what they believe in.  Someone once told me that if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.

As the world seems in historical turmoil about decency, atrocities, and justice, it is a great time for parents to have open and honest discussions about what they believe in. Our world is changing fast and most of the day our kids are influenced online, in schools and through media about so many things that families used to hold sacred.

Right and Wrong have not changed, but it certainly has been “repositioned” by millions of individuals we have never met.  More than ever, it is important for parents to have clear goals for parenting and developing a strategy that will provide valuable input about old fashioned v0alues like honesty, justice, and empathy, whether it is in person, or online.

Your child’s future is at stake. 

Our hearts bled at the sights and scenes taking place in Israel.  Nearly every news outlet immediately questioned how Israel could be so caught off guard.  Only time will tell and history will decide what the contributing factors were.  But we do know that many of the enemy attacked from INSIDE of Israel supporting the attack that took place outside the borders.  And that allowed quick and easy access to over 1000 victims.

Watching these scenes unfold, many news outlets turned their attention to the issues related to the U.S. and their open borders.  During this week's show Opal talks about how individuals who have negotiated an illegal entry into the U.S. are in danger of being trafficked on U.S. soil.  So many of us believe that as long as individuals get across the border they are safe. The reality is that human trafficking, both sex and labor trafficking takes place to the most vulnerable INSIDE the borders and on U.S. soil.  

According to the California Attorney General’s Office there were on average 450 missing children in Riverside County last year. There are many factors on why teens run away from home including online enticement, bullying, family conflict, pregnancy, to be with a friend or romantic interest, gang involvement, sexual abuse, or lack of acceptance of gender identity or sexual orientation. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children states that 77% of runaways were between 15-17 years old. 

For over ten years, Million Kids has operated Million Kids Missing Kids. This service is designed to assist law enforcement and support families in the first critical hours when a child goes missing. We have sent out millions of flyers and been involved in helping the family locate the victim and in some cases, bringing the child home. This weekend was one of those situations as we assisted a family in another state to help law enforcement to locate and rescue a young lady who went missing. 

Your generous donations make this possible and we thank you.

This week we will talk about why kids leave home and what needs to be done immediately to enlist the publics help in locating your child. Additionally we will talk about just how well you know your child and how to create a social media contract that will help keep your kids safe online so they will not be tempted to meet up with a stranger they met online.  

STING IN MORENO VALLEY 

On September 20, 2023, the Moreno Valley Sheriff’s Station Problem Oriented Policing (POP) and Gang teams, along with the Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force (RCAHT) conducted a comprehensive “John” prostitution sting in an effort to reduce the demand for sex trafficking in the city of Moreno Valley. The operation resulted in 14 arrests, 11 males for solicitation of prostitution, 2 females for prostitution, and one additional male for pimping. The females were later identified as potential victims of human trafficking and provided victim services and resources.

SB14 SIGNED INTO LAW BY GOVERNOR NEWSOM

This bill has had it's challenges but in the end, our community, our families and especially our children are much safer today.  SB 14 will include human trafficking of a minor within the definition of a serious felony, enhancing the punishment for felonies pursuant to existing sentencing provisions commonly known as the Three Strikes Law. 

ASHTON KUTCHER STEPS DOWN AS BOARD CHAIR OF THORN:

Ashton resigned as Chairman of the Board of Thorn along with his wife Mila Kunis.  This was the result of outrage over the couples support for Danny Masterson, their friend, who was convicted of raping two women.  Certainly, we understand the issue especially for victims of violent sex crimes since Million Kids has spent the last 15 years in prevention and intervention related to all sex crimes.

However, Million Kids wants to recognize the incredible contribution that Thorn has made over the past few years in supporting the development of technologies like Spotlight and generously sharing that technology with law enforcement across the nation.  Because of their commitment to funding of this technology, thousands of young people around the world have been identified as victims or potential victims of online sex crimes.  This technology has allowed law enforcement to quickly locate potential pedophiles and provide the information that helps sex crimes investigations to be successful in an expedient manner in getting the bad guy off the street and help bring critical assistance to victims.  We are grateful for the contribution Ashton and Mila have made.  

I recently returned from vacation in Scotland and Ireland.  Such beautiful countries with lots of open spaces and sheep and cows and homemade cheese and mile upon mile of green grass, rolling hills and beautiful seaport villages. The people seem to live a simple life with wonderful hospitality, and old fashioned friendship.  It was delightful.  

Immediately upon my return I was blasted with stories of how there are more than 75,000 homeless people in Los Angeles County.  During my trip back from LAX we encountered trash in the streets, drug addicts sleeping on the sidewalks and graffiti seemingly on every unoccupied space. 

We read about how teenagers create "swarms" and go into Nordstrom's or invade convenience stores and steal and demolish anything they choose.  I wonder what in their background or upbringing makes them feel that these actions are OK? 

The headlines today on Fox News showed that more than 8 million people have crossed the border illegally in the past three years and now there are large caravans of people moving across the Rio Grande en mass.  Today's story focused on more than 2500 people charging through the border together at Eagles Pass (only 1 entry at the border and there are many) and it simply overwhelmed any security personnel that might be able to demand order.  I wondered: What if 10% of those individuals were connected to organized crime? That means more than 800,000 potential criminal elements have entered our country in the past three years and we dont know who they are or how to protect ourselves against them.  I could not help but notice that while there are many women and children a large number of those coming in without documentation are military aged males. 

Million Kids is a non profit organization that combats human exploitation and fights to keep kids safe from predators.  Anyone who owes money to organized crime, are not safe, even if they are on U.S. Soil. Homeless people (especially women) are especially vulnerable to being exploited.  The challenge to assist the vulnerable is sometimes overwhelming.  

During this weeks show, we discuss the need for families and young people to get back to the basics.  To have joint discussions about personal values and what we believe.  When everything feels like it is out of control, we start at home by defining our values and standing up for what is right and doing our best to help others.  

This is a fast changing world and sometimes, at least to me (Opal) it seems like everything is upside down.

We are witnessing corruption in this country at the very highest level through the media.  Is it true?  How can anyone know?

I remember an America where we could “be all we could be”.  That we are proud to take the high road, and if you committed a crime, there were consequences.

How does ANYONE know what to believe?

How do we teach our children that they have to obey MOST rules, but they don’t have to obey rules that others say are not fair.  Who gets to decide?

Daily we witness literally thousands of people from all over the world enter our country without documentation and the majority are paying cartels (organized crime) to get in.  We have no idea who they are, what their intents are, and if they will respect and abide by our laws, since they have already been told by our politicians that we welcome them, even if they are breaking a federal law.

What about the people who came in legally and made the sacrifices to become US citizens? 

We see how AI is used to make deep fakes where totally innocent kids are subjected to ridicule and rejection when the child is perfectly innocent, in fact, they are a victim.  At the same time, we see, overseas telemarketing organization trick and blackmail our kids and now many of the young males are taking their own lives. 

There seems to be a different standard for just about everything, depending on who is making the rules.

With that in mind, how do we teach our children about fairness, honesty, justice, integrity, and doing what is right.

For me: I believe we are all better off taking the high road. 

For our kids:  I believe it is more critical than ever to teach our kids about integrity, pride of self, doing what is right instead of what is easy.  Even more important, we have to teach our kids how to protect themselves, because it is obvious we cannot depend on political leaders to set the example. 

There is real excitement with movie goers about the Tim Ballard's latest movie project filmed in South America.  It is called Sounds of Freedom and it is indeed riveting and insiteful about human trafficking in foreign countries.  

However, trafficking and social media exploitation in the U.S. present quite differently.  During this week's show of "Exploited: Crimes and Technology", Host Opal Singleton talks about how victims become victims of sex trafficking in the U.S. and how it differs from trafficking as portrayed in the film.  We also talk about online social media exploitation and what parents should look for if they believe their child is at risk of being exploited online and the "do's and don'ts" for parent to intervene if their child is being exploited.

Many people have contacted me (Opal Singleton) regarding the film, Sound of Freedom and wanted to know my thoughts about it.  Congratulations to Tim Ballard of Underground Railroad and lead actor Jim Caviezel for delivering a powerful message about how foreign national trafficking and global child CSAM rings operate. These folks created a riveting story that will open the eyes of people around the globe. 

 Million Kids actually started by serving with Rapha International in Cambodia and we have first hand knowledge of how truly devastating it is for families and victims of sex trafficking where innocent children are often taken to far away places and exploited. As the film portrays, there are literally millions of kids around the globe that have been used in sexual exploitation, that have never been identified or rescued. This film also addresses the critical need for law enforcement around the globe to have better technology and more funding so they can dedicate the resources necessary to take on the evil of global sex trafficking. 

What is also important to recognize is that trafficking in the U.S. is usually very different than the scenario portrayed in this film. Many victims in the US meet their perpetrator through social media or a community location like a mall or school , and are seduced into believing they have a relationship.  They are then sexually violated, physically exploited, and sold by gangs and pimps for commercial sex. 

 Million Kids has spent years educating the public, schools, law enforcement, social workers, and the faith based community so young people will understand the grooming and recruitment process so we can keep our kids safe from predators. We appreciate each and every person that has been on the journey with us. And we appreciate the movie "Sound of Freedom".  We hope everyone goes to see it.  

Recently the FBI and ICE released a public service announcement alerting the public about “malicious actors manipulating photos and videos to create explicit content and sextortion schemes”.  Commonly known as “Deep Fakes,” individuals with criminal intent will electronically manipulate benign photographs or videos of individuals from images captured from an individual’s social media account, open internet, or requested from the victim.

The perpetrator then creates sexually themed images that appear true to life in likeness to the victim, then circulates the fake images through social media, public forms, or pornographic websites.  The victim is then blackmailed into sending actual erotic images they made or coming up with large sums of money to stop the blackmail and harassment. 

Historically these sextortion efforts are generated by foreign national telemarketing centers located in poor, third world countries and are operating to generate millions of dollars in illegal funding for organized criminal enterprises.

As technology becomes more complex, and the entire world is connected by 5G high speed internet, and more young people have access to online communications,  it is more urgent than ever, for young people to understand what is at the heart of the “deep fakes” sextortion scheme, and learn to take every precaution so they will not become victims.  

Everyday we make decisions. The big decisions are obvious such as college, marriage, divorce, career paths, having kids or buying a house. 

Most of us put significant time and effort into evaluating all the "what if's" before making a choice.  However, often times it is the small decisions that can change our lives forever.  The decision to do what is right rather than what is easy, or what satisfies a tempting desire to get something we should not have or do something that we know might be harmful, can change our paths for the rest of our lives.  

For Opal Singleton, a small decision made on a lonely night in December 1966, changed the trajectory of her life.  She was new to California and struggling to find her way, when one night she called "Dial a Prayer" and that connected her to Rev. Richard and Marsha Huls. These folks were and are simply amazing. They took her in to their lives and it began a 58 year friendship.  Over the years Rev Huls and Marsha were Opal's true family and they became serious and dependable advisors to Million Kids. 

On June 16, the Huls' family experienced a major tragedy as their home caught fire at 2 AM.  Marsha did not survive.  Rev. Huls is in critical condition in the hospital with burns to his face, hands, chest and lungs.  At this writing he appears that he will survive but cannot communicate.  Please pray for this family.  Rev. Huls was a minister, a Navy Chaplain, A Police Dept Chaplain and served several care homes as a chaplain.  They are some of the most giving people on earth.  

For Opal Singleton, that fateful night of making the decision to call a stranger and ask for help, changed the trajectory of her life forever.  

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FAMILY OF REV. RICHARD HULS AND MARSHA

Recently we saw the news release from two major news companies, The New York Post and The Washington Post that addressed the issues of how artificial intelligence and software algorithms expose "vast pedophile networks" to our children and what is being done about it by big tech companies.  Frankly, this is not news to Million Kids as we have been educating on this for years. Instagram is not the only app company that uses the algorithms for the purposes of abusing children.  The challenge is for parents and minors to understand how all of these apps operate and WHY they are an open invitation for pedophiles to target innocent and naive children.

Over the course of the next two radio shows, we will look at how large scale pedophiles operate, why they want to secure your child's illicit photos and what app companies could do to make your child a little bit safer online. We look at how Instagram, Tik Tok,  Discord, Grindr and Roblox are used by bad guys to connect with your child .  We will also discuss possible avenues of communication to educate your child, including a discussion on how "deep fakes" work and how to protect yourself from becoming a victim.  

When most people hear about online sexual exploitation of minors or sex trafficking of minors they are appalled and want to do whatever they can to stop it.  Certainly that is a good thing as it important that we all educate each other, including parents, kids, educators, civic leaders and the faith based community so we can prevent exploitation and intervene if we see a situation when a child might be in danger of exploitation.

Recently we have encountered several private groups and even some dramatic television shows where non law enforcement individuals have taken up themselves to pretend to be a minor online and see if they can find pedophiles and shame and even threaten them.  Some of the vigilante groups provide their information to law enforcement asking them to investigate it.  While all of this certainly has good intentions, most people don't understand that it can in fact, hinder prosecutors and law enforcement from actually being able to investigate, arrest, and prosecute child abusers especially if they are part of large scale child pornography ring.  One such ring was "Welcome to Video" that had between 500,000 and one million paid subscribers. 

During this show we examine the potential danger an individual can put themselves in, and some of the challenges for law enforcement to be able to properly investigate what might be a large scale underground pedophile ring.  Equally important, these private investigations can be disruptive and even harmful to investigations conducted by law enforcement where they may have put in thousands of hours of investigations and identified hundreds of potential pedophiles that could be prosecuted if it is done within the rule of law with search warrants, subpoenas and court orders.  

There is a trend in California legislation to introduce and pass bills that have less accountability and less punishment for those that break the law.  At the same time many bills that would make crimes like domestic violence, sex with a child, rape of an unconscious or intoxicated victim and human trafficking are immediately shot down in the Public Safety Committee as being unnecessary.  Usually there is no explanation just a yes/no vote and the bill is dead.

At the heart of the matter is an effort by many activists (including Million Kids) to make human trafficking and child sex crimes to be consider "serious" and "violent".  Most people do not realize that human trafficking and child sex crimes are not considered "serious" or "violent". These classifications are not feel good terms but rather would allow for enhanced sentencing or qualify for the "Three Strikes Law".  This is resulting in a revolving door practice of allow sex offenders and those that commit crimes against women and children to be released back into the communities where they reoffend.

A recent research survey from Statista indicates that 77 percent of teen respondents aged 19 years and older have sent a sext or nude images in the US and 88 percent have received a text.  Compare this with a survey in 2018 published in JAMA Pediatrics that indicated 15 % of teens say they send sexts and 27% receive them.  Equally concerning is a headline from Thorn that indicated that the number of pre-teens sharing nudes on line doubled in 2020. 

During this week's show we are going to discuss some of the driving forces behind this behavior and explore why so many young people are willing to take chances by sending nudes and sexual images to individuals they met on line. We will discuss how parents can intervene and the conversations that are critical to have with teens and pre teens before they are given cell phones or other devices. We will also talk about how to report instances where your child may be being blackmailed by an online predator.

Sharing the realty of social media and the choices young people face that can impact the rest of the life.

The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to chose"

j.Martin Kohe

The past few weeks our nation has witnessed hundreds of young people across the U.S. forming social media driven mobs to riot, charge into a wide variety of business and loot and steal at will, often endangering the responsible people who work there.  This past week Los Angeles witnessed one such event as a large number of teens with hoods hiding their faces as they forced their way into a gas station, smashed the glass and demolished the inside.  All of this for a couple of six packs of beer and some Twinkies. This took place while the young man who worked there, locked the front door and hid in the bathroom while calling the police.

This week on "Exploited: Crimes and Technology" we look at the need for our society to return to the basics.  Every time we do what is right instead of what is easy we gain character.  We discuss the need for parents to talk with kids about digital morality and to reflect on their own digital character.  We discuss the need for leadership in making strong moral decisions regardless of what is being fed on social media.  The young man in the gas station chose to get up, come to work and earn an honest living.  He is to be admired.  The young people in the mob chose to loot, destroy and take what is not their's and there should be consequences. Even if they are not identified and arrested, they have chosen a path that will lead them to be adults without character.  Our society will ultimately pay a price for that. 

It feels like there are so many changes taking place in our society, there are times it is just overwhelming. Because of technology we reach more people but talk less. Intimacy is replaced with a smiley face on a text. Everything is on an “App”.  It seems that personal relationships lose the nuances of affection in a text.  Although it does help us communicate more often with many people

Lately, I have felt there is also a cycle of 24-7 negativity, almost an assault on our values. Conflicts seem to loom at every turn.

This week’s show is focused on how to be responsible for your own happiness. We also look at the intricate value of a grandma and grandpa with old-fashioned values and the way they are so important in helping you laugh when everyone else is throwing stones. . 

I believe the greatest power a person has is to choose happiness and gratitude.  I love the this quote from Asma Naqui:  “Happiness in your heart is directly proportional to the quality of thoughts in your mind”. 

Social media often offers a diversion to bored and lonely individuals, whether they are an 11-year-old young person seeking attention or a 45-year-old divorcee looking for a relationship or A 70-year retired person with time on their hands.  Dating apps, hook up apps, and mass audience live streaming apps like Tik Tok, Instagram or Discord, or Web Cam Sex Sites connect our world to millions of individuals we know nothing about.  This can lead to hooking up with total strangers, which can be exciting and stimulating and provide relief to a life of boredom and loneliness. It can also be very dangerous.

Fantasy relationships with people we meet online, allows us to control the narrative, and fill in the blanks that satisfy our perceived wants and needs.  Fantasy relationships tend to ignore the imperfections in real life.

The challenge is there is little verification that what you are perceiving has anything to do with reality.  It develops interactions based on your idea of what that person is, or may look like, and how they will meet your needs and wants.  We have a tendency to develop feelings and responses based on the “idea of a person” rather than a real interaction of a real person. Adults and kids alike are vulnerable to being groomed and seduced by individuals with less than scrupulous desires for your wellbeing.  Individuals that live in a fantasy world, have a hard time coping with honest relationships that are based on truth, acceptance, and intimacy. Even more dangerous is the inability for a person who is caught up in a dream world to validate the dangers and warning signs that emerge in an online relationship.

Often people ask me what they can do to keep their family, their community safe from predators. The answer is “KNOW” your community. Get to know everyone on your block and look out for each other. During this show we will discuss signs and indicators that a structure may be being used to exploitation. This will include drug stash houses, illegal pot grow houses, buildings used to house undocumented people until they raise the funds to pay their captors, and buildings used as commercial and residential brothels. Most important we will talk about how to report a suspicious activity in your community without putting yourself and others in danger.

Running away is a serious problem. According to the National Runaway Switchboard, an organization that takes calls and helps kids who have run away or are thinking of running away, 1 in 7 kids between the ages of 10 and 18 will run away at some point. And there are 1 million to 3 million runaway and homeless kids living on the streets in the United States. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has stated that they believe that 1 in 6 kids who run away are at risk of being a victim of sex trafficking.

For nearly ten years Million Kids has operated the Million Kids Missing Kids program to assist parents in locating and the return of runaway and missing kids. We have sent out hundreds of thousands of flyers and been involved in the location or return of many missing teens.

Over the next two broadcasts of Exploited: Crimes and Technology program we will explore why kids run away and what parents can do to intervene. This week we will look at what kids are running “from”. There can be many factors that kids want to escape from. Perhaps they are being bullied at school, or the home is not safe from sexual or physical abuse, or the homelife is unstable for the minor, and sometimes it is because they are dealing with issues of abandonment, drug and alcohol use, or feeling the family unit is not stable.

The second part of this series we will examine what kids are running “to”. This can often be a fantasy relationship whether real or perceived, a new friend that is influencing them, or they are being groomed a new online relationship. Some kids fantasize about a life of freedom living on the streets and going where they want without supervision which works until reality sets in. Other teens hook up with people they have met on a dating site or video game chat room and just want to see what the person is really like but unfortunately they disappear.

Running away is a serious problem. According to the National Runaway Switchboard, an organization that takes calls and helps kids who have run away or are thinking of running away, 1 in 7 kids between the ages of 10 and 18 will run away at some point. And there are 1 million to 3 million runaway and homeless kids living on the streets in the United States. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has stated that they believe that 1 in 6 kids who run away are at risk of being a victim of sex trafficking.

For nearly ten years Million Kids has operated the Million Kids Missing Kids program to assist parents in locating and the return of runaway and missing kids. We have sent out hundreds of thousands of flyers and been involved in the location or return of many missing teens.

Over the next two podcasts, we will explore why kids run away and what parents can do to intervene. This week we will look at what kids are running “from”. There can be many factors that kids want to escape from. Perhaps they are being bullied at school, or the home is not safe from sexual or physical abuse, or the homelife is unstable for the minor, and sometimes it is because they are dealing with issues of abandonment, drug and alcohol use, or feeling the family unit is not stable.

The second part of this series we will examine what kids are running “to”. This can often be a fantasy relationship whether real or perceived, a new friend that is influencing them, or they are being groomed a new online relationship. Some kids fantasize about a life of freedom living on the streets and going where they want without supervision which works until reality sets in. Other teens hook up with people they have met on a dating site or video game chat room and just want to see what the person is really like but unfortunately they disappear.

This week we have had the opportunity to work with some of the most dynamic individuals leading the charge to support victims of sex trafficking. During the show we talk about the services they provide. We also provide an update to what is happening in our communities as a result of the implementation of California SB 357. Literally vans of young girls are being brought in from out of state and loitering to solicit prostitution in front of Catholic schools and blocking the driveways for private residences.

Operation Reclaim and Rebuild: Riverside County Anti Human Trafficking Task Force (RCAHT) announced a successful operation working with the FBI where 31 individuals were arrested on a variety of charges including solicitation of prostitution, prostitution and pandering. Most important there were 31 arrests, and 7 potential victims of sex trafficking were rescued. This was part of a Statewide program where there were 368 arrests and 131 potential sex trafficking victims were rescued. RCAHT is victim focused and the Task Force works closely with victim services providers to ensure they are provided with resources to escape and heal.

San Bernardino County District Attorney Victim Advocates: Million Kids had the opportunity to meet many of the Victim Advocates serving San Bernardino County and share about the crime of sextortion. These are extraordinary individuals who work diligently to provide specialized services for victims of crime.

Mama’s House: Desert area. Mama’s House held a fundraiser to expand their campus. What an incredible event. Dr. Ben Carson was the key note speaker and he mesmerized over 1000 people with inspirational stories of his life. It was heartwarming to see so many highly successful individuals willing to support a program that makes it possible for pregnant teens to deliver and keep their babies when they find themselves in a situation where they have little structure or financial support. Congratulations Jan Lupia. It was a fantastic experience.