To reel his prey in, he starts out being friendly. To establish intimacy, he uses endearments such as 'dear' and 'darling'.
He also tries to win over the trust of his victim by pretending to be concerned for her well-being, such as asking if she has eaten.
Then, there are the promises of gifts, movies and meals.
When a girl doesn't object to his terms of endearment, he inches closer by asking more intimate questions, such as her vital statistics.
If she shares such private information, he takes the plunge by suggesting online sex or to meet in person, said teens and counsellors.
Polytechnic student Melissa Leong, 19, received such propositions when she frequented chatrooms at the age of 13.
'It's impossible to have a normal platonic relationship with a guy you meet online because usually, people aren't looking just for friendship,' said the student, who has stopped visiting chatrooms.
Sexual grooming is a new term in Singapore's vocabulary of sex crimes. It refers to the lead-up to getting a youngster to have sex. Proposed changes to the Penal Code announced in Parliament last week are aimed at nailing sexual groomers before they can do any harm.
Of the 124 reported cases of females who fell victim to sex crimes between 2001 and last year after meeting their abusers through the Internet, about 80 involved victims under 16.
Under the proposed new law, anyone 21 and over caught with the intention to have sex with a minor faces three years in jail or a fine or both.
If there has been sex, an offender faces a jail term of up to 10 years and possibly a fine.
Abusers will be convicted of statutory rape if the victim is below 14. Statutory rape carries a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine or caning.
The hunters - mostly men between 18 and 60 years old - know how to lead their prey into their trap, said counsellors.
The easy targets: girls who are lonely, curious or have low self-esteem.
Online predators take advantage of these youngsters' confusion over love and sex. And they can be putting the moves on many victims at the same time.
Mr Jonathan Siew, senior counsellor at Care Corner Counselling Centre, said peer pressure and the teens' curiosity about sex make the youngsters vulnerable.
'When someone asks if they want to try and offers to be their boyfriend, they may give in on the first date already,' said Mr Siew, whose youngest client was a 13-year-old girl whose friends, too, were meeting older men online and being lured to have sex.
This year, Ms Sheena Jebal, a counsellor at Nulife Care and Counselling Services which specialises in youth issues, has handled about 30 cases of minors who have indulged in sexual activity with people they have met online.
Many more go unreported because parents either don't know their underaged children have had sex or they want to shield them from the shame, said counsellors.
Some youngsters foolishly reveal too much personal information only to find themselves being blackmailed into having sex by the once-amiable 'friend' they have made over the Internet.
'They feel guilty, embarrassed, fearful that their parents will find out and think there's no way back,' said Dr Carol Balhetchet, director of youth services at the Singapore Children's Society.
The especially gullible or lonely ones can be 'groomed' as quickly as within a day, said Dr Balhetchet, who saw five young girls last year who met men online.
Social workers said some girls expose themselves to danger when they post provocative pictures of themselves on social networking sites such as Friendster and say they're interested in looking for men or in dating men.
While the proposed legal amendments will help to deter online sexual predators, counsellors said parents should do their bit by keeping an eye on their children.
'Because as long as there's a computer at home and little supervision, the risk is high,' said Ms Jebal.
THE phrase 'Want 2 meet up 4 some fun'' could be an invitation for sex or something innocuous.
Lawyers said that under the proposed changes to the Penal Code to catch Internet sexual predators before the sex act, it is vital to establish the context in which a remark is made.
Lawyer Amolat Singh said: 'We need to track the chat patterns, the age difference and the circumstances of the chats. A combination of all these could then reasonably show a predator's intent.'
Even if this proves difficult for prosecutors, he added, the law will definitely be valued for its deterrent effect.
Britain approved a similar law in 2004, giving authorities the power to charge a predator before sexual assault happens.
Mr Will Gardner, Chief Executive Officer of Childnet, a children's charity in Britain, said: 'Previously, the law wasn't protecting children until after abuse and that's too late.'
The arrest of child abuser Patrick Green in 2000 led to the change in the law. Green, then 33, had 'groomed' a 12-year-old girl by befriending her in an Internet chat room. He started emailing her daily. He eventually met her in person and sexually assaulted her.
While out on bail, Green carried out a similar assault on another girl. The subsequent public outcry led to the change.
Mr Gardner said that in the first year of enforcement over 200 were prosecuted.
Now, when a child or parent reports a possible grooming case to Childnet, a police officer steps in. The officer takes on the online identity of the child and continues chatting. E-mail messages and chat logs are kept as evidence.
Upon meeting, intention can be drawn if the person shows up with pornography, condoms or lubricants.
'It is vital to bring a level of deterrence to the online environment,' said Mr Gardner. 'Now, predators are worried because they could be 'grooming' an officer.'
