A 38-year-old woman who disguises herself as teen girls to help catch sexual predators is the focus of a new docuseries that’s garnering a great deal of attention ahead of its November release.
Roo Powell, founder of the Safe From Online Sex Abuse (SOSA) non-profit, is able to utilize a variety of unique methods to track down predators, who themselves are often using extensive identity-obscuring measures.
“Every day, adults exploit and abuse minors online. … My organization helps law enforcement stop them,” Powell, a mother of three, says in early footage of the six-part Discovery+ series. The disguises, as the footage makes clear, aren’t simple. The meticulous process involves everything from staged rooms to entire backstories for different personas.
Among the team backing her on these often harrowing missions is a detective with the Norwalk Police Department in Connecticut who—per the Daily Beast—provides Powell with legal insight and also pretends to be an Uber driver for in-person meetings.
Earlier this month, Deadline also pointed out that suspected predators identified by the SOSA team range from school workers to “high-profile” figures in the community.
“My hope is through broadening awareness with this show, we can prevent sex abuse and exploitation of children online, as well as empower parents and caregivers to be a compassionate support system for kids in their communities,” Powell said.
Per the non-profit’s official site, the SOSA team takes a multi-pronged approach to their work by including the study of suspected offenders’ language. This facet, as well as the other parts of the SOSA methodology, helps the team pinpoint “pockets” of the internet where minors are being targeted.
Undercover Underage, featuring an inside look at Powell and her team, premieres on Nov. 2 via Discovery+.
