ALBANY, N.Y. -- “It used to be pretty easy for police to track down the bad guys because they were usually hiding out relatively close to the crime scene,” said Victor.

But the expansion of the internet is making it easier for criminals to strike from thousands of miles away with just a few simple key strokes.

“The police department has to worry that many crimes nowadays, simple crimes also involve things like cell phones that have internet access, computers and laptops,” said Daniel Nadareski, Albany Police Officer.

Nadareski says it takes a lot of manpower and a ton of time to track cyber criminals who often set up elaborate networks that span the globe. He says the types of crimes run the gamut, ranging from sexting or sending porn, possibly child porn, via cell phone, to money scams and identity theft.

“If you have access to people, there's always a possibility that you can virus infect a computer or scam them, or groom them into giving you some information,” said Nadareski.

Grooming, he says, is when someone in a chat room or on a social networking site will try to spark a friendship and pump you for information.

“They may be getting information from you by being nice to you. Grooming is something that predators typically use,” said Nadareski.

He says kids who are now in their teens have grown up with the internet and are typically comfortable sharing information with virtual strangers turned cyber-soul mates. Sexual predators thrive off of their eagerness to find common ground on websites and blogs by using what they write to track them down.

“And now somebody's reading, wow, she takes the bus, she's all alone and she's at this intersection. This is something you've got to be concerned about,” said Nadareski.

Nadareski says to protect your kids from online predators, keep their computers out of their bedrooms. Understand what websites they're using and who they're talking to. Monitor their use, ask questions and look out for cyber-bullying and requests to keep conversations secret and set ground rules and boundaries, just like you would in other aspects of their lives.

“You might lock the doors to your house, but the internet and the computer is in the bedroom. And the predator is in the bedroom talking to your child,” said Nadareski.

And while there's several pieces of software out there that can help, parents agree the most important thing is to know the pitfalls and stay ahead of the criminals.

“You need to be vigilant. It's like any other new tool we have at our disposal, or any other new thing that comes on. Whether it's a blender or a new computer program, everything has its place and you have to be able to use that resource,” said Debbie Phaff, Citizen's Academy student.

While the technology keeps changing and the threats are hitting a little closer to home, officers say being aware of your cyber-surroundings will help you protect your loved ones as well as your parents did in the good old days.