Online groomer typology scheme

One hundred and one transcripts of conversations between volunteer workers purporting to be minors and convicted offenders in the United States of America who had groomed minors online for offline sexual encounters were analysed. Based on rapport building, sexual, and concealment variables, five offender profiles were identified using cluster analysis. One cluster was a single offender who built no rapport; and this outlier was excluded from further analysis. The intimacy-seeking groomers employed rapport-building. The dedicated, hypersexual offenders built rapport, talked about sexual matters, and used strategies to conceal contact. The social groomers built some rapport but talked less about sexual topics and ways to conceal contact. The opportunistic-social groomers spent little time talking online, built very little rapport, and were not concerned about getting caught. Implications for parents, policy makers, and teachers attempting to protect children from online grooming are discussed.