Byline: Chris Hansen; 2006-09-29; Dateline NBC;
Report: "To Catch A Predator" - Chris Hansen - NBC Dateline
Tags: hidden cameras, posed as, predators, undercover, video
Article LinksPetaluma, Calif. — A girl appears to be home alone and looking for company. She keeps waving men into the garage... and they keep following her all the way to the backyard where she offers them a drink. Anyone watching this scene repeat itself over and over might be wondering what’s going on. The girl is an 18-year-old actress hired by Dateline. She’s inviting suspected sex predators to sit at a bar in a backyard that is wired with hidden cameras. Decoy: Where do you work? Gopi: I work in Apple. Decoy: Oh, so you sell fruit? Gopi: Sorry? Decoy: You sell fruit? Gopi: I’m a software engineer. Decoy: Oh, software, oh, like the computer. Oh. (Laughter) Gopi: Yep. Yep. She chats with the men making them feel more at ease and then I come out. Chris Hansen, Dateline Correspondent (walks out): So you had quite the commute today, huh? Why don’t you have a seat over by the bar there. How’s it going? Please sit down. Did you enjoy your drink? It’s all part of Dateline’s latest investigation into online sex predators. As in the past, men from all walks of life show up. A respected doctor and a carpenter who gave us the most revealing confession we’ve ever heard.
Description:Part one of a Dateline "Predator" hidden camera show in California.
Rights: Access to online material.