Homemade stings posing as minors can destroy evidence and hinder investigations

Private online operations in which civilians pose as minors to entrap suspected sexual offenders can obstruct investigations and risk destroying evidence, the Central Finland Police told Tamperelainen on Friday.

"Good intentions do not make citizen sting operations appropriate," said Detective Chief Inspector Tommi Juvonen. He said people should not deliberately appear to be underage on forums, social media or messaging apps to lure adults into contact. Such homemade 'exposure' operations can unintentionally shape a suspect's behaviour, compromise proof and make it harder for investigators to determine whether any contact actually involved a real minor.

Juvonen reminded readers that criminal liability depends on whether the legal elements of an offence are met, not just on exchanged messages. Public accusations made online can create allegations before authorities have had a chance to investigate. If someone suspects a sexual crime against a child or preparation for one, they should preserve any material unchanged and hand it to the police as soon as possible so authorities can investigate and protect potential victims.

The message comes amid other local online safety concerns, including reports of young people being targeted on Snapchat and Telegram earlier police notices described recruitment via those apps and a prior Tampere case where an offender was charged after contacting youths via social media police charged a Tampere man last year.