A Sydney man has been charged with grooming an underage girl for sex after an undercover police officer traced him over the internet.
The man was reported to New South Wales police by a West Australian officer from the Cyber Predator Team.
The officer had engaged in an online conversation with him posing as a 12-year- old girl.
Detectives from the Child Exploitation Unit swooped on the man's Thornleigh home yesterday morning - seizing his computer.
The 34-year-old has been charged with four counts of using a carriage service to groom children.
Child Protection and Sex Crimes Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent John Kerlatec, said the arrest served as a warning to people engaged in this type of activity.
“You can’t hide behind the anonymity of the internet. We work closely with our counterparts around Australia and overseas, and have the technology and skills to covertly monitor your usage of the computer,”
He's been granted conditional bail to appear in court later this month.