FBI Investigates Violent and Horrific “764” Online Network that Preys on Teens

ABC News has reported that FBI officials are growing increasingly concerned about a loose network of violent predators who befriend teenagers through popular online platforms and then coerce them into escalating sexual and violent behavior — pushing victims to create graphic pornography, harm family pets, cut themselves with sharp objects, or even die by suicide.

The online predators, part of the network known as “764,” demand victims send them photos and videos of it all, so the shocking content can be shared with fellow 764 followers or used to extort victims for more. Some of the predators even host “watch parties” for others to watch them torment victims live online, according to authorities.

According to a Public Service Announcement issued by the FBI, “These networks methodically target and exploit minors and other vulnerable individuals, and it is imperative the public be made aware of the risk and the warning signs exhibited by victims. These networks use threats, blackmail, and manipulation to coerce or extort victims into producing, sharing, or live-streaming acts of self-harm, animal cruelty, sexually explicit acts, and/or suicide. The footage is then circulated among members of the network to continue to extort victims and exert control over them.”

The PSA went on to say that the 764 network, “exists on publicly available online platforms, such as social media sites, gaming platforms, and mobile applications commonly used by young people. Many threat actors systematically target underage females, but anyone — juveniles, adults, males, and females — can be targeted. Victims are typically between the ages of 10 and 17 years old, but the FBI has seen some victims as young as 9 years old.”  These violent actors often groom their victims by first establishing a trusting or romantic relationship before eventually manipulating and coercing them into engaging in escalating harmful behavior designed to shame and isolate them.” 

“We see a lot of bad things, but this is one of the most disturbing things we’re seeing,” said FBI Assistant Director David Scott, the head of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, which is now leading many of the U.S. government’s investigations tied to 764.

The FBI has more than 250 such investigations currently underway, with every single one of its 55 field offices across the country handling a 764-related case, Scott told ABC News in an exclusive interview.

PB Editor: This is every parent’s worst nightmare a group that is preying on young unsupervised children. This is a warning to parents: Pay attention to what your children are doing online.