April 23, 2026 – On Wednesday, the FBI posted the following letter to letter to parents, guardians, and caregivers.
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Over the course of the last few years, the FBI has observed a concerning increase in activity by online actors involved in predatory activity. These predators target children across the United States, including in Wisconsin. “764” is often used colloquially as a catch-all to describe these diffuse online networks.
These networks employ tactics described as Sadistic Online Exploitation (SOE). These predators seek out children online through mobile messaging apps, social media, and gaming platforms. After identifying a potential target these predators methodically attempt to befriend potential victims. This grooming process often includes the predator establishing a trusting or romantic relationship with the victim. The goal of the relationship is to allow the predator to manipulate and threaten the child into producing and sharing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), acts of animal cruelty, self-harm, or violence.
However, not all of these predators follow the same ideology, but they seek out young people. Predators may be engaging in criminal activity for sexual gratification, social status, a sense of belonging, or for a mix of other reasons.
Regardless of motivation, the FBI takes each case seriously and works with its law enforcement partners, both domestic and foreign, to ensure offenders are held accountable.
Potential signs of victimization include:
- Sudden behavior changes such as becoming withdrawn, moody, or irritable
- Changes in appearance, including neglect of appearance or hiding specific body parts
- 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 signs 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”)
- Sudden and unexplained gifts or packages arriving for the child to the home
