By: Prosecutor William E. Reynolds
In my 42 months as the Atlantic County Prosecutor, I have learned that the safety of our community begins long before a crime is committed.
It begins in our homes, our conversations, and our willingness to stay present in the lives of the people we love.
Today, the threats facing our families—especially our children and our elderly—are not always visible.
They often originate in places we cannot see, from people we do not know, and through devices we use every day.
The most dangerous predators no longer come from dark street corners or abandoned buildings.
They come through screens—quietly, persistently, and cleverly—into our living rooms, our schools, and
sometimes even our churches and homes.
What makes today’s predators so dangerous is not only their intent, but their access. You do not know where the predator is coming from.
They may be sitting behind a keyboard halfway across the world, or they may be a person living in the same neighborhood.
They may appear as a stranger online, or, in rare but devastating cases, they may be someone already known to the family.
Technology has erased boundaries and expanded opportunity for connection, but in doing so, it has also expanded opportunity for exploitation.
The threat surfaces in many forms. Social media has become one of the most common tools used by predators to build false trust.
Platforms meant for connection and creativity are routinely exploited by individuals who hide behind fake profiles and carefully crafted personas.
They know how to speak the language of teenagers. They know the apps they use, the content they follow, and the insecurities they face.
And once they gain trust, the pathway to extortion or exploitation can be alarmingly fast.
Online gaming is another area where many families underestimate the risk.
For children, gaming is social—an escape, a hobby, a community with friends they may never meet in person. But for predators, these same platforms create cover.
Voice chats, private messages, and group interactions allow them to blend in easily.
Many children don’t even realize when someone they’re talking to isn’t who they claim to be. A friendly gaming partner could, in truth, be an adult testing boundaries, seeking information, or initiating grooming behaviors.
Dating apps, originally designed for adults seeking connection, are increasingly used by offenders who manipulate individuals of all ages.
Vulnerable seniors, especially those widowed or living alone, are targeted through carefully constructed online relationships. These predators do not rush; they invest time, affection, and patience to create trust before asking for money, personal information, or compromising photos.
What begins as companionship can end in financial devastation or emotional trauma.
Even the simplest digital tools—text messages, emails, and phone calls—have become avenues for crime.
Scammers impersonate government agencies, banks, law enforcement, or even family members in distress.
They rely on fear, urgency, and confusion to trick their victims. Our elderly residents are disproportionately targeted because many were raised in a culture where phone calls were trustworthy and politeness was expected.
Predators exploit that kindness. But the most difficult truth for many families to confront is this: sometimes danger does not come from outside.
Sometimes it enters through the spaces we consider safest—our own schools, churches, or homes.
Though rare, these cases involving trusted family members, community members, or acquaintances remind us that vigilance cannot be selective.
Our responsibility to protect the vulnerable requires honesty about all potential risks, even the most uncomfortable ones.
So how do we defend our families in a world where threats are so varied, so hidden, and so adaptable?
We begin by being present in our loved ones' lives. Not surveillance, not suspicion—presence. Talk to your children. Ask them who they’re speaking to online.
Sit with them while they play their favorite game. Learn the apps they use.
Let them know that if something feels off, unusual, or uncomfortable, they can come to you without fear of punishment. You do not need to be a technology expert. You simply need to be engaged.
Check in on your parents and grandparents. Ask about unexpected calls or messages they receive.
Remind them that legitimate organizations will never demand immediate payment or personal information.
Encourage them to contact you before responding to anything that feels uncertain.
One simple conversation could prevent the loss of their life’s savings or the violation of their trust. Predators succeed in silence.
They thrive when families aren’t talking, when loved ones feel isolated, when we assume “it won’t happen to us.
But the truth is that it can happen to any family, in any neighborhood, at any time. The dangers of the digital age require not fear, but awareness; not paranoia, but connection.
The Atlantic County Prosecutors' Office will continue to aggressively pursue these predators every day.
But law enforcement alone cannot prevent every crime. It takes all of us—present, alert, involved, and connected—to build a community where predators find no opportunity.
Stay present. Stay aware. And together, let us protect our most vulnerable loved ones.