Episode 11: Digital Guardians — A Deep Dive on Bark

Technology built the problem—but it can also be part of the solution.

In this episode of Chasing Shadows, digital forensic investigator Sean Lacy explores how Bark is helping parents protect kids in an increasingly connected world. From the Bark App that monitors messages and images, to the Bark Phone that puts safety first, to the Bark Watch and Bark Home that extend protection across every device in the house—Sean breaks down what works, what doesn’t, and what parents need to know.

Episode 10: Telegram — The Hidden Network

What happens when secrecy becomes the enemy of safety?

In this episode of Chasing Shadows, Senior Investigator Sean Lacy pulls back the curtain on Telegram, one of the most encrypted and untraceable messaging platforms in the world — and the hidden dangers it poses for parents, teens, and investigators alike.

Sean unpacks a real homicide case that began inside a Telegram group and ended in tragedy — a local man killed during a drug deal gone wrong, after selling vape cartridges to minors through encrypted chats. But this isn’t just about drugs. It’s about how platforms like Telegram allow hidden communication, illegal exchanges, and child exploitation to thrive in the dark corners of the internet.

Episode 9: The New Omegle

Omegle may be gone, but the danger didn’t disappear — it just moved.
In this episode, Sean Lacy exposes how apps like Emerald Chat, OmeTV, and Chatroulette are filling the void left behind, offering predators the same instant, anonymous access to children that made Omegle infamous.

Sean breaks down why these platforms are no safer, how they bypass moderation, and what happens when a single click turns into a sextortion scheme.

Episode 8: The Kik Connection

Where predators hide in plain sight — and parents think it’s just messaging.

Kik has been around for more than a decade, but behind the chat bubbles and usernames lies one of the internet’s most dangerous playgrounds. In this episode, Sean Lacy takes you inside the world of Kik Messenger — where anonymity fuels exploitation and predators use everyday tools to trade, groom, and target children.

You’ll hear about real investigations: a biker gang member who tested undercover profiles before traveling to meet a “14-year-old,” a public-school IT worker who used his skills to outsmart detection, and an equipment operator who crossed state lines to commit a crime.
Each case began in the same place — a messaging app many parents think is harmless.

Shadow Debrief #3 – The Amanda Todd Story | The Face of Sextortion

When fifteen-year-old Amanda Todd trusted the wrong person online, she became the victim of one of the most public sextortion cases in history — a case that exposed how digital cruelty and manipulation can destroy lives.

Sean Lacy takes a deeper look at Amanda’s story, the predator who targeted her, the investigation that brought him to justice, and the global reforms sparked by her death.

More than a decade later, her story remains a warning — and a call to action.

Episode 7 - Digital Blackmail: Inside the Sextortion Epidemic

Sextortion has become the most widespread online crime targeting teenagers — and it’s growing fast.

In this episode of Chasing Shadows, Investigator Sean Lacy exposes how predators manipulate boys and girls through everyday apps like Snapchat and Instagram, coercing them into sending private photos and then blackmailing them for money or more content.

You’ll hear how these crimes start, how global networks like the “764” group industrialize sextortion from overseas, and why prosecution is often nearly impossible. Sean also breaks down the warning signs parents need to recognize — and how simple conversations can stop the cycle before it begins.

Sextortion doesn’t always end in an arrest. Sometimes, it ends in tragedy. But awareness can change that.

No polish. No politics. Just the truth behind the takedown.

When the virtual world becomes the next crime scene.

Whistleblower Cayce Savage stepped forward with a warning: predators are moving into the worlds parents don’t yet understand — VR spaces, avatars, and private Discord servers.
In this episode, we break down what she revealed before Congress, how offenders use cross-platform grooming to target kids, and what parents and investigators can do to stop it.

From Meta’s virtual worlds to the backchannels of Discord, this debrief exposes how online exploitation continues to evolve — and what happens when law enforcement, tech companies, and families must face the next digital frontier together.

Episode 6 – Discord: When the Conversation Leaves the Game

Discord is one of the fastest-growing platforms in the world — a space where kids hang out, game, study, and connect. But behind the servers and voice chats, predators know how to exploit its features to groom, coerce, and trade illicit material.

In this episode of Chasing Shadows, Sean Lacy takes you inside the world of Discord: what it is, how it works, why it’s so attractive to teens, and how offenders use it to target kids. We share a case where a 10-year-old with a “locked down” Roblox account was still contacted through Discord, offered Robux in exchange for explicit content, and messaged by offenders from around the world — all hidden in a single laptop.

Episode 5- Roblox: Building Worlds, Facing Risks

Roblox is one of the most popular games in the world, with over 70 million daily users—most of them children. Parents see it as creative and safe, but predators see it as an entry point.

In this episode of Chasing Shadows, host Sean Lacy unpacks a case involving a 10-year-old girl whose mother thought Roblox’s parental controls would protect her. Instead, predators bypassed those settings by following her into another app. You’ll hear how the situation unfolded, how Roblox’s systems work, and what risks parents need to watch for.

We’ll also break down the difference between normal and parental-controlled accounts, explain Roblox’s safety features, and discuss why they don’t close every door. With 24,522 CyberTipline reports filed by Roblox in 2024, the dangers are real—and parents need to know how to respond.

Chasing Shadows is about case studies, awareness, and practical tools. Because filters can help, but your best defense is knowledge.

Episode 5 – Roblox: Building Worlds, Facing Risks

Shadow Debrief #1: The Chatroom Admin

In this Chasing Shadows: Shadow Debrief, Sean Lacy takes listeners inside a North Carolina case that exposes one of the most dangerous positions online — the chatroom administrator.

Twenty-four-year-old Nicholas Tyler Banks wasn’t just a participant in an illegal chat group. He was the gatekeeper — approving new members, distributing child sexual abuse material, and controlling the very space where exploitation thrived.

In this episode, Sean breaks down how these hidden chatrooms work, why “admins” hold so much influence, and how law enforcement tracks the digital footprints they leave behind. He also offers insight into what parents need to understand about modern chatrooms — from Discord servers to gaming platforms — and how to recognize the warning signs of online predatory behavior.