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After the FBI launched an investigation right into a refined felony community concentrating on youngsters and teenagers on-line referred to as “764,” a former FBI agent is offering mother and father with sensible tricks to hold their kids protected.
Dr. Stephen Boyce, CEO and president of the Cyber Physician and former forensic analyst with the FBI, defined to Fox Information Digital that the group originated round 2021 and has grown into a world risk.
“The 764 Group is a decentralized network of neo-Nazi, satanic ideology and is tied to a group called the Order of Nine Angels,” stated Boyce.
What units this group aside is its fragmented but coordinated construction, with members spreading their affect throughout widespread social media and gaming platforms.
The FBI launched an investigation into a complicated felony community concentrating on youngsters and teenagers on-line referred to as “764.” (Annette Riedl/image alliance by way of Getty Pictures)
Unpacking 764:
Initially traced again to a U.S.-based founder who was later sentenced to 80 years in jail, the group has since expanded its attain. The FBI lately shared that it’s investigating at the very least 250 incidents tied to the group.
“The FBI is investigating at least 250 subjects who are tied to violent online networks commonly referred to as ‘764’ but includes many offshoot networks and names,” the FBI instructed Fox Information in a press release on Tuesday night. “All 55 FBI field offices across the country are involved in these investigations.”
The predators are recognized for concentrating on minors on social media and utilizing coercion to get them to movie themselves committing violent or sexual acts, after which utilizing these movies to extort minors for rising violent or sexual movies which can be then shared with “764” followers on-line.
Boyce warned that “the common one that certainly hits all the headlines is Roblox as well as Discord”, noting that whereas these platforms will not be inherently malicious, their communication options have been exploited by predators.
Mainstream apps that many younger adults use, like TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and X, will not be proof against misuse, he stated.
“I think anything where you have the ability to communicate with someone else warrants parents being aware of who their kids are interacting with,” he stated.
The predators are recognized for concentrating on minors on social media and utilizing coercion to get them to movie themselves committing violent or sexual acts. (iStock)
Boyce stated an equally regarding issue is the group’s use of psychological techniques to entrap victims. “One of the most common tactics is love bombing and getting into these fake online relationships,” stated Boyce.
The manipulation can result in minors sending compromising content material or performing disturbing acts.
“There is quite a bit of that sextortion, as well as various different things and the use of encoded language,” Boyce defined, pointing to the usage of speaking by memes and coded language.
The group’s endgame could be particularly tragic. In some circumstances, the 764 community pushes its victims towards livestreamed self-harm and even suicide. “They do promote self-harm,” he stated. “Children have been asked to self-harm and write their name in their own blood.”
These acts are sometimes used as rites of passage inside the group, additional binding victims into its poisonous tradition, he defined.
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A former FBI agent is offering mother and father with sensible tricks to hold their kids protected. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP by way of Getty Pictures)
Parenting Pointers:
Yaron Litwin, the CMO at Cover Parental Management App, instructed Fox Information Digital that limiting display time “isn’t enough.”
“It isn’t enough to put screen time limits in place. It isn’t enough to install parental controls. Moms and dads need to be proactive and maintain an open line of dialogue with their kids on online safety topics, and should do their best to enact and enforce household rules, which will at least somewhat neutralize real threats like 764,” he stated.
Realizing what apps kids are utilizing, who they’re speaking with, and monitoring any shifts in habits could be lifesaving. Dad and mom ought to hold a watch out for secrecy round on-line actions, sudden romantic entanglements, uncommon meme utilization, animal cruelty and any indicators of self-harm.
“For instance, newfound displays of irritability, growing secrecy about their device use and suddenly appearing to be socially withdrawn can all be signs of growing exposure to 764 or other dangerous or harmful online groups,” he stated. “A sudden loss of interest in their offline lives and constantly seeking privacy can also be suspicious signs.
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“In case your child is experiencing indicators like these, react with warning and care — not panic.”
Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
