WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) – The FBI office in Milwaukee is sending a warning to parents about online groups and networks targeting kids.
These networks, commonly known as “764,” use tactics to befriend victims and groom them through a trusting or romantic relationship. The FBI office in Milwaukee says there are numerous warning signs to watch out for, and there isn’t just one way these networks target kids.
Warning signs
The FBI says if you notice sudden behavior or appearance changes, fresh cuts, bruises, animal abuse, or harming younger siblings, your child may be a victim.
The FBI says 764 is a general term they use to describe a network’s use of sadistic online exploitation. They say these networks often split into factions, making it difficult to track how many predators are involved.
How predators make contact
Special Agent in Charge Alan Karr says predators will randomly contact their victims through common methods.
“It’s particularly any apps or platforms in which young people or vulnerable populations might be, so these could be social media apps, they could be gaming platforms, so anything like that where they could make this initial contact and bring people in to the group or be able to start the grooming process,” Karr said.
Karr hopes this campaign will educate parents so they can help the FBI and law enforcement track down these predators.
“We hope through this education campaign that we can increase reporting, we can stop victimization, and through that increased reporting that we can then identify subjects,” Karr said.
New laws and prevention
Karr says the new grooming and sextortion laws are helping them and assisting agencies to leverage more tools to investigate and bring justice to victims.
He adds it’s critical for parents to talk with their children about online dangers and monitor what your child is seeing or doing online.
“Those conversations are very important, the ability to monitor what your children are doing online, utilizing parental controls to see and make sure that they are not communicating with someone they shouldn’t be communicating to,” Karr said.
Karr says you should also make sure that what you’re posting online cannot be used to target you or your family.
How to report
Karr says if you encounter these networks or you believe you’ve been a victim, take down all the information you can. That includes the websites the person used, the platform information, usernames, and email addresses.
Then report that to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
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