Grooming is the term refers to the process by which child sex offenders/abusers ensnare their victims by befriending them. The abuser will usually pretend to share a common interest with the child or offer them support and advice before persuading them to meet one-to-one. When using the internet for Grooming, the offenders also usually pretend to be children, too. Following a number of cases where Pedophiles have used internet chatrooms or email to befriend children in order to abuse them, public awareness of "Grooming" has grown.
Lexicon of Psychology - Terms, Treatments, Biographies,