Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced Friday the arrests of three child sexual predators, as the result of a cyber crime operation known as Operation Press Your Luck.

The AG’s Office partnered with several other agencies to target and locate individuals who were attempting to lure children they met online for sex or child pornography. These agencies were the Pike County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Wiggins Police Department, Columbia Police Department, Naval Criminal Investigation Service, Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, Mississippi Office of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

As a result of the operation, officers served five search warrants, with investigations ongoing that may lead to additional arrests.

“Through this operation, we were able to capture bad actors and do so before they had the chance to do more harm,” Fitch said. “I am grateful to our partners in law enforcement who worked closely with our office to protect our children and make the Internet a safer place.”

The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office manages and operates the Mississippi ICAC Task Force, which was created by the U.S. Department of Justice and works in cooperation with other ICAC Task Forces across the country. From Jan. 1, 2023 to Feb. 28, 2023, the Mississippi ICAC Task Force received 724 Cyber Tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which administers the national CyberTipline.

Anyone with information about a child being sexually exploited online is asked to report it to 1-800-843-5678. The hotline is manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Reports can also be made at https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/cybertipline