It is nothing new to point to the rapid societal changes brought about with the advent of social media and smartphone technology since 2007. Governments now have to come to terms with privacy issues and a host of new cybercrimes. This brief article summarizes what is known about the use of social media as a preferred victim targeting network for sexual predators. It also highlights needed areas for future research in criminology and forensic science related to offender behavior that can practically be used to inform an evidence base for criminal investigation.
Cybercrime; Criminal investigation; Internet; Sex offenders; Justice; Victim; Social media