A trailer for an upcoming movie stars Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen and quickly went viral, reaching over 15 million views on major social media platforms within a day. The referenced reality series ran from 2004 to 2007 as part of Dateline NBC. Hansen waited at a rented suburban home with a camera crew and hidden cameras while adult men arrived expecting to meet a minor. The men had messaged online profiles created by Perverted Justice, believing they were communicating with a child. Volunteer decoys handled phone calls and other communications, then greeted the men and invited them inside. Hansen confronted the men, and law enforcement outside arrested them. The show drew high ratings and controversy over alleged entrapment. It was canceled in 2008 after a Texas prosecutor died while police sought a search warrant tied to messages he sent to a Perverted Justice volunteer posing as a 13-year-old boy.
"The reality TV series, which aired from 2004 to 2007 as part of the news magazine show Dateline NBC, featured Hansen waiting at a rented suburban home with a camera crew and additional hidden cameras for an adult man to arrive, expecting to meet a minor and have sex with them. The men had messaged online profiles set up by the watchdog group Perverted Justice, believing they were communicating with a child."
"The group also had volunteer decoys who were adults but looked and sounded younger, to manage phone calls and other communications with the men. As the men arrived at the house, they would usually be greeted by one of the decoys who had a high-pitched voice, inviting them inside, where they would meet Hansen, confronted about why they had come to the house, and then arrested by waiting law enforcement outside."
"The show racked up major ratings, quickly becoming the most popular Dateline NBC segment, but also its share of controversy for the methods used to communicate with the men; some called it entrapment. The show's representatives defended against these critiques by pointing out that the men were always the ones to communicate first."
"In 2008, To Catch a Predator was canceled after a prosecutor in Texas killed himself while police were trying to serve him with a search warrant related to messages he had sent a Perverted Justice volunteer posing as a 13-year-old boy. The trailer rapidly clicks through a split-screen showing multiple video angles easily recognizable by anyone who has ever seen an episode of To Catch a Predator."
Read at www.mediaite.com
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