Vigilant parents were a key factor in the arrest of a man charged with luring a child over the internet, Alberta RCMP say.

Parents in Airdrie, 30 kilometres north of Calgary, were monitoring their child's internet use when they discovered "concerning" material and called police, RCMP Const. Francine Hiebert said Wednesday.

Warning signs

  • Your child spends lots of time online, especially at night.
  • He or she receives phone calls long distance or from numbers you don’t recognize.
  • Your child receives mail, gifts or packages from a stranger.
  • Your child turns off the monitor or quickly changes what is on the screen when you enter the room.
  • There is pornography on your child’s computer.

Source: RCMP

An investigation by RCMP and the Calgary Integrated Child Exploitation Unit led to the arrest of an Airdrie man, 51, on Tuesday. He's been charged with using the internet to lure a child under the age of 16 for the purpose of facilitating a sexual offence.

The suspect is scheduled to appear in Airdrie provincial court on Aug. 19.

"You have to give credit to these parents," Hiebert said.

"I would like to remind parents to protect their children from falling victim … to predators over the internet," she said, pointing out that open communication about what kids are doing online is key to keeping them safe.

She also suggested moving the family computer to a common area where it can be easily monitored.

With files from Andree Lau