Former Modern Family star Ariel Winter put her acting skills to use for law-enforcement, disguising herself as a 12-year-old girl as part of an undercover operation to catch a child predator.
Fox News reports Winter, 27, was part of the sting operation in Oklahoma City organized by Safe from Online Sex Abuse. The sting was featured in the true crime docuseries SOSA Undercover.
“It’s definitely cathartic to be teaming with SOSA, knowing that I can make a difference,” Winter tells the Daily Mail. “It can be scary at times pretending to be 12 and talking to older men, but it’s validating to put away predators that have been harming children.”
Winter portrayed Alex Dunphy on Modern Family from 2009 to 2020. She tells the Daily Mail she has “been the girl we are trying to save.”
She added, “It’s vital to me to help protect young women from the experiences I endured in my own life.”
As part of the sting, Ariel wore a dirty blond wig and other accessories to highlight her youthful appearance, Parade reports. She did not wear makeup.
Winter said she was surprised by the number of men seeking to have sex with underage girls, saying it’s “hundreds of thousands,” Fox News reports.
“This whole experience has been heartbreaking, because I think of how young these girls are and they’re being approached by much older men,” she said.
—Cliff Pinckard, cleveland.com (TNS)
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