Byline: Chris Hansen; 2006-10-06; Dateline NBC;
Report: "To Catch A Predator" - Chris Hansen - NBC Dateline
Tags: hidden cameras, posed as, predators, undercover, video
Article LinksPETALUMA, CALIF.— We set up a house where a young teen is supposed to be home alone. Like moths to a flame, potential sex predators can’t stay away. That is of course until they see me. Even though millions of people have seen our series and we’ve caught 150 men, in this latest investigation, our seventh one, we have one of our largest turnouts ever. 29 men show up at this upscale house in Petaluma, California in just three days. We’ve rigged it with hidden cameras—the street, driveway, garage, alley and every inch of the backyard are covered. But our guests have no idea they’re being recorded. Inside the house, members of the online watchdog group Perverted-Justice are in chat rooms posing as young teens. Dateline has paid the organization a consulting fee. The PJ members are pretending to be 12- and 13-year-olds who are interested in sex and whose parents are away. If a man in a chat room hits on one of the decoys and proposes sex, he’ll be given the address of this house and invited over. Dateline hired an 18-year-old actress to play the part of the 12- or 13-year-old home alone...and the men seem happy to see her.
Description:Part two of the California Dateline "predator" hidden camera series.
Rights: Access to online material.