ooVoo

Please be aware of issues that have come to light both locally and nationally regarding a video chat App called ‘ooVoo’. This programme can be downloaded to electronic devices such as mobile phones ,laptops, iPads or PCs and allows users to make free video calls, search for other users and send ‘invites’ to become ‘friends’. The terms and conditions for oVoo state that users must be at least 13 years old.

There have been some recent cases in which adult males have allegedly set up false profiles, usually passing themselves off as teenage girls, and have then made contact with young females who have this app installed on their phones. There is some evidence that the profile pictures for these fake accounts are actually pictures of the girls then being targeted or of their friends – taken from things such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts - as this immediately grabs their attention.

Once contact has been made, the people behind the fake accounts have then sent sexually explicit videos of themselves and tried to encourage the person they have contacted to do likewise. Merseyside Police are currently investigating a number of cases but in the meantime we would advise you to discuss this issue with your daughter. ooVoo have been reported as co-operating with law enforcement requests to trace users and ban usernames. Users can set security controls to prevent uninvited contact and report other users through the ‘Support’ section of the App.

Use the following link to control security settings:

http://support.oovoo.com/link/portal/3908/4244/ArticleFolder/169/Privacy-Security

 Reporting users to ooVoo can be done via this link:

http://support.oovoo.com/ics/support/ticketnewwizard.asp?style=classic