FBI warns of ‘764’ predators using extortion, live-streamed self-harm to control child victims

The FBI is investigating more than 350 individuals nationwide tied to violent online networks dubbed “764” that target children and vulnerable people across the United States and New England. Victims are allegedly pressured into self-harm, sexual exploitation and other degrading acts, the bureau’s Boston division warned Thursday.

All 56 FBI field offices are involved in the investigations, which focus on 764, along with numerous offshoot networks operating under different names across social media platforms, gaming apps and mobile messaging services.

“Simply put, what these juvenile predators are doing is depraved, and the tactics they’re using are ruthless,” said Ted E. Docks, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, in a release. “They’re pressuring at-risk youth and other vulnerable individuals into producing sexually explicit and harmful material to extort them. It’s sickening, really.”

Mr. Docks added that the FBI is “sounding the alarm on this extremely disturbing trend in hopes of preventing more children from becoming victims. By recognizing the warning signs, you can help protect your child from harm and help us stop a predator from hurting another child.”

According to the FBI, predators operating within these networks befriend minors through popular online platforms, then gradually coerce victims into producing child sexual abuse material, sexually exploiting younger siblings, harming family pets, cutting themselves or attempting suicide. Some predators watch live-streamed self-harm and circulate the footage to maintain leverage over victims, a practice the bureau calls Sadistic Online Exploitation.

In FBI Boston’s region, investigators have documented instances of members using “doxing” — publishing a victim’s personal information online — and “swatting,” or making false emergency calls to trigger a police response at someone’s home, as additional tools of intimidation.

The FBI classifies the primary motivation behind most of these crimes as Nihilistic Violent Extremism, or NVE, an ideology whose adherents want to sow chaos and facilitate the destruction of society. These extremists typically emerge from decentralized online subcultures that glorify violence, mass killers and self-destruction. The bureau notes, however, that not all participants are ideologically driven; some act for sexual gratification, social status or a sense of belonging. Each case is assessed individually to determine whether NVE applies.

Victims are typically underage females between the ages of 10 and 17, though the FBI says anyone can be targeted. They frequently lack stable support networks, may struggle with depression, eating disorders or suicidal ideation, and typically believe they are communicating with peers their own age. Perpetrators are often males under 25.

FBI Boston is drawing on its counterterrorism and crimes-against-children units jointly to address the threat and is coordinating with school resource officers and administrators to help identify at-risk children.

In an open letter to parents and guardians released Thursday, Mr. Docks outlined warning signs that may indicate a child is being victimized. These include sudden behavioral changes such as withdrawal, moodiness or irritability; changes in eating or sleeping habits; talk of suicide or death, or expressions of feeling unwanted or unneeded; signs of animal cruelty or unexplained harm to siblings; unexplained wounds such as cuts, burns or bite marks; and scars bearing patterns or terms associated with the 764 network.

Parents should also watch for unexpected phone calls or packages arriving for the child from unknown sources, or reports that a child’s personal information has been posted online without their knowledge.

The FBI urges parents to closely monitor children’s online activity and use parental controls, conduct regular online searches of their child’s information, talk openly with children about the risks of sharing images or personal details, and preserve any suspicious texts, emails or messages as potential evidence.

Anyone with evidence that a child may be victimized should report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, call 1-800-CALL-FBI, visit tips.fbi.gov, call FBI Boston directly at 857-386-2000 or contact local police. Immediate threats should be reported by calling 911.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children offers a free service called Take It Down, which assists minor victims — or adults victimized as minors — in removing or halting the spread of sexually explicit images taken before age 18. More information is available at takeitdown.ncmec.org.