'Sadistic online exploitation:' FBI warns of networks targeting kids

FBI warns of online networks targeting kids

The FBI is urging parents and guardians to be vigilant about what their kids are doing online as "predators" use the internet to connect with, target and groom potential victims.

MILWAUKEE - The FBI is urging parents and guardians to be vigilant about what their kids are doing online as "predators" use the internet to connect with, target and groom potential victims.

Online networks

The backstory:

At the FBI's Milwaukee Field Office on Wednesday, a special agent broadly discussed "sadistic online exploitation" networks. Field offices across the country are investigating at least 450 cases.

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The FBI and other law enforcement agencies have spent years trying to take down what are broadly called "764" networks, but those attempts have only caused the group to splinter into other similar-type cells.

"With these diffuse networks, anyone can become a victim in our communities, and hoping to identify the warning signs, get the information in so we can start tracking these folks down, that is why it's so important we want to get this message out," said Alan Karr, FBI Milwaukee special agent in charge.

FBI Milwaukee

The FBI called members of such networks "predators" who connect with children and at-risk people online through messaging apps, social media and gaming platforms. They then manipulate those people into sharing sexually explicit images of themselves or coerce them into engaging with things like animal cruelty, self-harm or violence.

The majority of victims are girls in their late teens, according to the FBI, while the majority of suspects are males in their late teens or early 20s.

What to watch for

What you can do:

The FBI said, in many investigations involving online threats, parents believe they are aware of their child's activities only to discover they didn't know what was truly happening.

Potential signs of victimization, according to the FBI, include:

• Sudden behavior changes such as becoming withdrawn, moody, or irritable
• Changes in appearance, including neglect of appearance or hiding specific body parts
• Changes in eating or sleeping habits
• Signs of animal cruelty
• Unexplained harm to younger siblings
• Threatening to commit suicide and openly talking about death, "not being wanted or needed," or "not being around"
• Scars, often in patterns, including 764-related terms or names from online platforms
• Fresh cuts, scratches, bruises, bite marks, burns, or other wounds
• Reports of personally identifying information being posted online for victimization (commonly referred to as a "dox")
• Unexpected texts or phone calls about the child from unknown numbers to the home
• Sudden and unexplained gifts or packages arriving for the child to the home

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If you or someone you know is a victim of a crime using these kinds of tactics, the FBI urges you to retain all information from the incident – such as usernames, email addresses, websites, or names of platforms used, and immediately report it to:

• 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov
• FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov

Anyone who feels they are in imminent danger should reach out to local law enforcement immediately.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children provides a free service known as Take It Down, which helps minor victims, or adults who were victimized as minors, with removing or stopping the online sharing of nude or sexually explicit content taken while under 18 years old.