I was added to a group chat where two people discussed raping teenage girls and claimed to possess child sexual abuse material. They also shared abusive videos in the chat. I want to make sure this is reported properly, but I do not know where they are located. I was considering trying to obtain their IP addresses, but I need to know the safest and most effective next step.
3 Answers
Report it directly to the platform as child sexual exploitation and violent threats, and make a formal report to law enforcement. Platforms can preserve account and connection records for investigators, but ordinary users generally cannot obtain reliable IP information. An IP address may also be hidden, shared, or altered through VPNs and other services.
Do not try to track them, obtain their IP addresses, confront them, or investigate on your own. Report the accounts and messages through the chat service, then contact your local police or cybercrime reporting agency. If anyone appears to be in immediate danger, call emergency services. Keep the relevant usernames, profile links, message IDs, dates, and times, but do not download, forward, or share the abusive material.
Start with your own local police or national cybercrime/child-protection reporting service. They can refer the case internationally if needed.
If you are in the United States, report it to the FBI and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. In the United Kingdom, contact the police and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection reporting service. Elsewhere, use your national police or online child-safety reporting channel. Avoid reposting screenshots that contain illegal imagery; provide only the necessary identifying details and let investigators handle the files.
I’m worried because I don’t know what country they’re in, so I wasn’t sure which authorities to contact.