Violent online groups like 764 threaten the lives of young people. Here’s how you can protect your child

Teens in Arier Arican are recruited, groomed and lured by a network of cyber attackers known as 764 who work by sexually forcing them to perform sexual acts and harming themselves on camera and, in some cases, encouraging teens to kill themselves.

Here’s what parents need to know to keep their children safe on the Internet and report cyberbullying based on information provided by FBI and State investigations.

What is 764 and how does it process children

The term 764 is used to describe an open network of violent online groups that deviant youth – usually girls between the ages of 10 and 17 with mental health problems – around the world.

They usually blackmail their victims by establishing a friendly or romantic relationship and then threaten to Dox, publish their personal information online, or burn, report a false threat to their home.

When poachers find footage of self-harm or sexual abuse of children they proceed to cave the youth to produce more. Groups try to discourage children and make it easier to get off by sharing violent content such as rape and indecisiveness.

In the later stages of abuse, they may try to force victims to kill themselves.

How to protect online privacy online

Members of groups such as 764 will promote youth through multiple social media, gaming and messaging platforms.

“Anything that has a connection and can be in the cyber world, can be a target,” said Amir Ehsaei, special agent in charge of the FBI’s counterterrorism division in Los Angeles. “They can be anywhere.”

Times talked about the victims of these groups who said they were rehired. Roblox is also a popular platform where adults can easily make friends.

Parents can take simple steps to increase their child’s online safety, starting by setting all apps, games and social media to private and not allowing these platforms to access local services.

Parents should also engage children in discussions about good online practices. These include accepting requests only from friends they know in real life, never passing a game to chat on a different platform with someone they met online, accessing messages from strangers and reaching adults as soon as someone releases them as quickly as possible.

Parents should also talk about exit plans if children find themselves in an unsafe online environment and make sure that children know that they will not be blamed or in trouble if they become victims of abuse.

“Even the best kid can trip over something,” said Homeland Security Special Agent Theo Cousheng. It’s important for kids to have a “non-judgmental space to say, ‘Hey, I stumbled on something bad. Bad thing happened,'” she said.

Warning signs of possible exploitation

Children discussing fear or anxiety about a new online friend can indicate the first days of employment in groups such as 764. Members can also hire young people with gifts such as money, play money and other material things.

Scheduling mass shootings or mass casualty events can show a preference for one of these groups, which produces more violent children.

As the abuse continues children may withdraw from friends and activities, show increased moodiness and weight loss and changes in sleeping habits.

Parents should also be aware of the physical signs of abuse. These groups are known to ask children to carve their names into their skin with razor blades. Adults should also look out for other types of self-harm such as burns, cuts, bite marks and burns. Children wearing long sleeves and pants in hot weather is a possible indicator that they are harming themselves.

Deer can ask children to hurt their pets. A family pet dying under suspicious circumstances or fearing your child unrepentantly, could be a sign the child is being abused by one of these groups.

What to do if you or your child is being bullied

Victims of basic exposure should not charge their animals or post additional content as doing so will make the abuse worse. If your child appears to be in immediate danger of suicide call 911.

Cyberbullying should be reported immediately. Minors are encouraged to save everything – including photos, videos and documents – that will help criminal investigators go behind the back and prevent child abuse.

If you believe someone is a victim of child sexual abuse, or is a victim, you can call the Tiplinect2Protect Tipline at 833-591-5669. Information received through the tip line will be reviewed and forwarded to HSI field offices for investigation. You can report Internet crimes to the FBI at: www.ic3.gov

You can also call 1-800-843-5678 or submit a Cybertipline report to the National Center for Missing and Exploiting Children.

The agency offers a service called Down, which helps young victims delete or stop sharing their sexually explicit content online even if they are now adults.

Other Resources

Last year, the Department of Homeland Security started know2protect, a public awareness campaign to educate children and parents to combat online child abuse.

The campaign provides education, explains how to report and provides feedback and resource support for victims of online child abuse.

Members of the public also asked for a presentation on ways to protect children and young people through the Guardian Project. Sermons are delivered by HSI Special Agents and other important calls to schools, community groups, companies and non-profit organizations.

Email iguardian.hq@hsi.dhs.gov to request an iguardian presentation.