Attorney General Knudsen encourages online safety during Internet Crimes Against Children Prevention Month

HELENA – Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and the Montana Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) are encouraging Montanans to stay vigilant during Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Prevention Month and take steps to protect children online.

“As technology continues to evolve, protecting children from online predators has never been more important,” Attorney General Knudsen said. “At the Montana Department of Justice, we will continue to do everything we can to investigate these crimes, hold predators accountable, and keep kids safe from sexual exploitation. Please, do your part and talk to your kids about the dangers lurking online.”

The Department of Justice’s ICAC Task Force receives cyber tips from the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and is responsible for investigating and working with prosecutors to hold perpetrators who use the Internet or other technology to exploit children criminally accountable.

From June 1, 2025, through May 31, 2026, DCI received 3,542 CSAM cyber tips. Nationally, in 2025, NCMEC received 21.3 million CyberTipline reports, with a 158 percent increase in reported online enticement and a 323 percent increase in reported child sex trafficking from 2024.

Attorney General Knudsen shared the following tips and reminders to protect children from online predators:

• Think carefully before posting photos of your children online. Public posts can be viewed, saved, or misused by predators without your knowledge.
• Keep social media accounts private to limit who can see your content.
• Be cautious of strangers online. People may pretend to be the same age or share interests to gain trust.
• Avoid sharing personal information or location online.
• Watch for red flags, such as someone sending frequent messages, compliments, or trying to become close quickly.

Last year, prosecutors in Attorney General Knudsen’s office charged a Carter County man with three felony counts of sexual abuse of children (CSAM) for possession of explicit images and videos that depict a child under the age of 12. The investigation found that Shy Herbert McCutchan captured images of a child from the parents’ public social media account and used AI to manipulate the photos and produce CSAM.

To address the issue and hold perpetrators accountable, House Bill 82, supported by Attorney General Austin Knudsen, was passed and signed into law during the 2025 Legislative Session, and allows for the prosecution of sex predators utilizing artificial intelligence to digitally alter images.

Sextortion is also on the rise in Montana. In sextortion cases, predators lure victims into sending explicit images online and then use those images to threaten the victim into sending money or doing something they don’t want to do. Under the direction of Attorney General Austin Knudsen, the Montana Department of Justice is committed to raising awareness of the problem of sextortion and stopping the deadly crime. During the 2023 legislative session, Attorney General Knudsen successfully advocated for funding for an additional internet crimes against children investigator who helps combat crimes like sextortion. The Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Commander also travels the state to give presentations to educate parents and students and help keep them safe online.

For more information on how to stay safe online and to report child sexual exploitation, visit https://dojmt.gov/dci-home/crime-information-bureau/icac/.