The person approaching a child through an online game may not fit the image parents have traditionally associated with an internet predator.
He may be another teenager.
Federal investigators and researchers are again warning parents about violent online networks commonly associated with 764, following a Friday InvestigateTV report examining how members use social media and gaming platforms to manipulate and blackmail young victims.
The renewed attention follows an earlier May 12 warning from the FBI Dallas Field Office, which said 764-related networks operate around the world, including in North Texas, and often approach minors on gaming and social-media platforms while posing as friends.
The Threat May Look Like A Friend
One of the more troubling characteristics of the networks is the age of many people involved.
Bettina Rottweiler of the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology & Education Center told InvestigateTV that more than 80% of those involved — including victims and perpetrators — are younger than 25.
Researchers also told the outlet that much of the activity is coming from teenagers.
That changes the risk parents face.
A suspicious online contact may not appear to be an older stranger. It can look like another young person who enjoys the same games, follows the same creators, shares memes, or belongs to the same online community.
The FBI Dallas warning said members frequently connect with minors on popular gaming and social-media platforms, pose as friends, build trust, and then coerce victims into harming themselves or others.
From Friendship To Blackmail
According to the FBI, victims may first be persuaded to provide personal information, photographs, or videos.
That material can later become leverage.
FBI Dallas said the networks use explicit material to blackmail victims into creating increasingly violent or sexual content and can escalate pressure through tactics including swatting, doxxing, and vandalism.
The bureau said in May that it was investigating more than 450 subjects tied to violent online networks.
The Friday InvestigateTV report said the FBI has seen a 490% increase in these cases during the past year as 764 members and related splinter groups target children online. InvestigateTV reported that investigators have seen members scout platforms used by children, including Roblox.
The increase refers to the broader category of 764 and related violent online-network cases, not a 490% increase in membership.
Federal Cases Are Escalating
Federal prosecutors have increasingly pursued serious charges against people connected to 764 and related networks.
In July, 19-year-old Alexis Aldair Chavez of San Antonio was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for racketeering activity and child-exploitation offenses.
According to the Justice Department, Chavez was an administrator and online leader of the 8884 network, which authorities described as related to 764.
Federal prosecutors said victims were coerced or blackmailed into acts that included self-mutilation, sexual exploitation, violence, harm to animals, and attempted suicide.
The sentence also included lifetime supervised release.
In another case, the Justice Department charged two alleged 764 leaders with operating what prosecutors described as an international child-exploitation enterprise.
According to the criminal complaint, the defendants allegedly operated through encrypted messaging applications and directed or facilitated grooming, manipulation, extortion, and the production of child sexual abuse material.
The complaint alleged that some victims were as young as 13.
Those defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
North Texas Already On Alert
The issue is not confined to distant jurisdictions.
FBI Dallas said in May that 764-related networks were operating in North Texas and disclosed that investigators were pursuing hundreds of subjects nationally.
The bureau also pointed to the case of Austin Jan Sy Yatco of Plano, who was accused of exploiting minors into producing child sexual abuse material and distributing it through a violent online network similar to 764. FBI Dallas announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, FBI Dallas has warned North Texas parents to watch for abrupt behavioral changes, unexplained injuries, unusual online activity, or efforts to conceal parts of the body.
The New Stranger-Danger Problem
The Friday InvestigateTV report underscores a complication for parents: the person attempting to manipulate a child may look like a peer rather than an adult predator.
Timothy Courchaine, U.S. attorney for the District of Arizona, told InvestigateTV that offenders are “coming in through the bedroom, through the internet device in that bedroom.”
The FBI recommends that parents talk openly with children about online contacts and pay particular attention when someone tries to move a conversation from one platform to another.
Investigators also advise families not to immediately delete messages if a child has been targeted, because the communications could become evidence.
The bureau’s broader message is that shame can help offenders maintain control.
Children should know that if an online interaction goes wrong, they can tell a parent or another trusted adult without fear that asking for help will make the situation worse.
Anyone who believes a child has been targeted by 764 or a related network can contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit information through tips.fbi.gov.
Provided by Dallas Express
