A warning for parents after a North Port man is arrested for preying on a boy online

Parents are being warned to be careful with their kids’ online activities after a North Port man was arrested, accused of luring and blackmailing an underaged boy online.

45-year-old Shane Penczak faces seven felonies after pretending to be a teenage girl online. Investigators say Penczak met a young boy on a gaming website before blackmailing him into sending sexual videos.

A grown man sexually exploiting a young boy online from thousands of miles away is a wake-up call for parents everywhere.

Alan Crowetz, CEO of Infostream, said, “this is not an isolated story. These have been going on for years, and if anything, it’s getting worse.”

Crowetz said that is because there are more and more gaming sites that kids know about and parents don’t.

In this case, Penczak and his teenage victim connected on two sites.

Penczak posed as a teenage girl to bribe the boy with gift cards for the gaming site Roblox, then blackmailed him into sending nude photos and live streaming himself doing sexual acts on discord, a website and app where people can video call, share files, and chat.

Crowetz said, “you want to know if the game has a chat feature or, you know, make rules about using chat and video and that things and of course, educate the child, you know, warn them you know about the risks.”

That can be a tough conversation, but FGCU Mental Health Counselor Doctor Abbe Finn says it is crucial to make sure kids know when to speak up.

“Let them know if there’s somebody that’s asking them to do something that makes them feel uncomfortable, or makes them feel like they need to keep it a secret that they really need to break that secret and tell a trusted adult about it,” said Finn.

Dr. Finn says kids also need to know they’ll be met with love and support when they speak up, not punishment.

Dr. Finn says there are some warning signs to look for in kids who may be experiencing unhealthy relationships online. Are they suddenly secretive? Spending too much time online? Showing signs of depression? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, Doctor Finn says, take action.