The Morcombes issue warning after grandson was almost groomed by an online predator

Bruce and Denise Morcombe have shared a frightening online incident involving their grandson.

The parents of murdered schoolboy Daniel Morcombe, have spoken out about the moment they prevented their grandson from a potential online predator and want other parents and carers to be aware and remind their children of the importance of online safety.

Six-year-old Winston was playing on the popular online game platform, Roblox when he warned his grandparents of a potential groomer.

“Winston said, ‘Nana, Pa, this person knows my name’ and Bruce and I just looked at each other and said, ‘Oh, OK’,” Denise told 7NEWS.

The couple, who now devote their lives to child safety, were both immediately alarmed.

“That doesn’t sound great, that smells like a paedophile online trying to groom Winston and we were pretty frightened,” said Bruce.

After checking Winston’s message history, Bruce and Denise discovered the man was offering to help him improve his gaming skills – a typical grooming tactic used by sex predators to gain trust.

The couple screen-shot the messages, blocked the user and informed police.

They also sent the predator message saying: “Stop contacting kids you online creep.”

Nineteen years ago Denise and Bruce’s son Daniel Morcombe disappeared while waiting for a bus near his home on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. It was December 2003 and Daniel was going on a shopping trip to buy Christmas presents for his family. .

After an eight-year investigation, it was discovered Daniel had been abducted and murdered, and his killer, convicted paedophile Brett Peter Cowan was later sentenced to life imprisonment.

Since then, Denise and Bruce Morcombe have dedicated their lives to keeping children safe.

The Daniel Morcombe Foundation provides resources to families about online grooming and personal safety, promoting the message: Recognise, React, Report. The website offers free games to teach children how to be safe and encourages parents and carers to keep devices in common areas, always supervise online use, use privacy settings and know who children are talking to online.

“A lot of these social media sites aren’t suitable for children under 13,” Denise said.

“Don’t take the iPad away from the child — it’s not their fault, it’s the adult’s fault,” Bruce added.

The couple says parents instead should look to disable chat features in games and take a few other precautions including keeping devices in common areas, keeping privacy settings on and be aware of who your kids are speaking to online.

The Morcombe Foundation’s ‘Safe Bedroom’ initiative suggests the following online safety tips

Use devices in shared spaces

Encourage your children to use technology in places you can check they are okay – such as the living room or the kitchen. Keep devices out of bathrooms and bedrooms.

Stick to ‘real life’ friends

Teach your child that if they don’t know someone in the real world, they are actually a stranger. Remind them that they should never meet up with anyone they only know in the online world.

Share their online world

Sit down with your children and let them show you the apps, games and websites they love.

Think before you post

Help your child understand that, once it’s out there, it won’t go away. Show them that, even if they delete something, they can’t control who has seen it, saved it or made a screen shot.

Use a strong and secure password

Help your child to develop a strong password and to keep this password secure. Prompt them to sign out before they leave the computer.

Make a Family’ Technology Agreement

Work together to outline the ways your family can develop and maintain a healthy, balanced and safe relationship with technology.

Switch off

Have a safe and healthy balance of online and offline time. Encourage regular technology free times. Switch off your devices at night and turn off the family Wi-Fi at bedtime.