If you’ve ever felt helpless watching a young person glued to a screen—knowing they’re navigating a world you don’t fully understand; If you’ve ever handed a child or teen (of any age) a smartphone or tablet with a little twinge of worry in your gut—this episode of the Conspiracy of Goodness Podcast might just help you breathe easier. 

Detective Rich Wistocki is a nationally recognized expert in cybercrime and child exploitation. He’s been on the front lines of one of the most difficult corners of law enforcement for over 30 years, and now he’s on a mission to hand the rest of us the tools we need to protect our kids and grandkids—not through fear, but through savvy.

That’s the true beauty of this conversation: It’s not about panic—it’s about empowerment.

Predators Lurk Where Kids Gather—Even Online

Rich Wistocki has arrested over 500 online predators and helped prevent more than 50 school shootings, but his real genius lies in education. He travels all over giving talks to kids, teachers, and parents in schools, working to prove that if you teach parents and kids how to outsmart the dark corners of the internet, you don’t just reduce victimization—you can virtually eliminate it.

His mission seems to be going well: he talks about school districts where, after he has spent years traveling to speak with students and families, the number of internet crimes plummeted. Why? Because someone had told people—parents particularly—what to look for. They started noticing red flags early, and they were armed with the confidence to act.

For example: most parents don’t realize that popular kids’ gaming platforms like Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite are now the top hunting grounds for predators. No, the games themselves aren’t dangerous to kids—that’s the tricky part. Rich explained how predators use private chats to lure kids off the platform into less-monitored apps like Discord or Snapchat, and that’s where the real danger begins. 

It may sound scary, and even impossible to manage, but with simple tech tools, education, and a clear family tech policy, families can stay 10 steps ahead.

Parents: Beware of ‘NMK Syndrome’ 

Here’s the part that stopped me in my tracks, though: most of us don’t realize the first point of vulnerability starts the day we let kids keep their devices in their bedrooms.

That’s when predators go to work—knowing full well parents are asleep while kids are “just gaming” or scrolling at 2:00 a.m. Rich described it this way: when a device is in a child’s room at night, it’s like leaving a window open. You may not see who comes in, but they’re there.

And before you start thinking, “No…” Rich has a name for that insistent feeling that your child is too smart to get themselves into trouble: NMK Syndrome. 

“Not My Kid.” It’s the most dangerous blind spot a parent can have—because no amount of love, trust, or good intentions can replace the one thing kids don’t yet have: fully-developed decision-making brains. Their frontal cortex is still under construction (it won’t be done until they’re at least 25) and no matter how smart they might be, they’re still no match for the practiced manipulation tactics of someone who’s spent months earning their trust without your knowledge.

Rich Wistocki didn’t come just to scare us though: He came to give us proven, reliable tools to keep predators away from kids and out of their devices—without becoming an authoritarian.

Tools To Outsmart Predators: The Golden Ticket and Bark

Rich’s approach is anything but harsh or judgmental. In fact, what struck me most is the compassion he brings to this work. He’s not here to point fingers at overwhelmed parents, he’s here to offer tools—and hope.

One of those tools is something he calls the “Golden Ticket.” It’s a tangible reminder—like a magnet on the fridge—that tells kids: “If something bad happens online, you can come to me. There will be no punishment, no yelling, no shame. Just help.” Make sure that your child knows they won’t be punished for seeking help if they’re manipulated online.

And making that ticket into a thing they pass by and are reminded of every day, something they can pick up and hand you, is a genius way to keep the lines of communication open–and to turn what could be a moment of panic into a moment of trust.

Another game-changer? Bark. It’s a device-monitoring app (and even a whole phone) that alerts parents to threats like sextortion, bullying, and suicidal ideation—without invading every single message. It’s smart oversight, not surveillance, that can help keep the trust between you and your child intact while still ensuring that they’re protected from any real dangers.

Final Thoughts: Spread the Word!

This episode was not easy. As a host who normally celebrates joyful progress and innovation, this was unfamiliar terrain, but we are still celebrating something wonderful: the existence of someone like Detective Rich Wistocki, someone who’s chosen to spend his life stopping the unthinkable—and who is now building new systems of prevention and education that ripple out into communities everywhere.

If we can help one parent feel more confident; if we can prevent even one child from becoming a victim; if we can help one school put a better system in place…then the ripple begins—and that ripple is the very heart of the Conspiracy of Goodness.

So share this episode—with a teacher, with a parent, with your school principal—you never know who might need it. Because as Rich says: 

“The most powerful thing we can do is teach the people closest to the problem how to see it coming—and what to do next.”

• Website: BeSure Consulting
• Rich’s Cell:  (630) 461-0044
• Email Rich: [email protected]
• Book Your School at https://www.mycybersafeschool.com/

• 00:00 – Intro & Welcome
• 09:39 – Building a National Task Force to Stop Online Predators
• 15:13 – Roblox & Discord: Today’s Predator Playgrounds
• 20:50 – The Truth About Phones in Bedrooms
• 24:15 – The Privacy Myth and Why It’s Dangerous
• 29:00 – A Tragic Story That Could’ve Been Prevented
• 35:50 – The Golden Ticket Rule: What It Is and Why It Works
• 45:16 – Break
• 47:30 – How Sextortion Really Happens (Step-by-Step)
• 1:02:10 – Real Kids Speak Out After Presentations
• 1:14:29 – Final Tools, Tips & Hope for Parents
• 1:20:17 – Closing