The Boston division of the FBI is warning parents about loose online activities that involve strangers trying to contact children to convince them to harm themselves or others, often through sexual exploitation.
“The FBI is investigating over 350 subjects nationwide who are tied to violent online networks commonly referred to as ‘764,’ but there are many other offshoot networks and names,” according to a Thursday press release from the division, which covers all six New England states.
The release gave no specifics about cases or investigations, nor why the warning was being released at this time. Similar releases were sent out from most of the FBI’s divisions around the country.
The term “764” has been used since 2021 to identify decentralized, international groups of people sometimes described as satanic, nihilistic or neo-Nazi, and which are officially labeled a terrorist group by the U.S. and Canada. 764 are the first three digits of the ZIP code of Stephenville, Texas, which is the hometown of the group’s founder, Bradley Cadenhead.
Some individuals have been arrested over the years in connection with 764 and a number of unofficial subgroups, including multiple arrests in the U.S. last April.
The groups do not appear to have a specific political focus aside from a sadistic desire to profit by causing harm or damaging institutions, according to news reports. They most often target young women, but all ages and types of people can be victims.
“These networks of violent predators befriend minors and other vulnerable individuals through popular online platforms and coerce them into escalating sexual and violent behavior, pushing victims to create graphic content and child sexual abuse material, sexually exploit siblings, harm family pets, cut themselves with sharp objects, or attempt suicide,” the FBI said.
Thursday’s release from the FBI includes a list of general practices that parents can do to help protect children, mostly well-established cybersecurity practices such as updating software and not opening attachments or clicking on web links from unknown people.
It also advises parents to keep an eye out for mood changes or other signs of victimization, and says: “Talk to your kids about this threat and let them know it’s OK to say no to someone asking for a nude photo, even if it is their significant other or someone they trust.”
What is known as “sextortion,” or extortion related to people’s fears of publicity related to their sexual habits, is a major component of the group’s actions.
The FBI also advises parents that if concerns arise they should “keep all texts, emails, and other message interactions as evidence. They are crucial for law enforcement.”
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) provides a free service known as Take It Down, which helps minor victims or adults who were victimized as minors to online sharing of sexually explicit content taken while under 18-years-old. For more information, visit takeitdown.ncmec.org.