What is ‘764' Group? FBI opens 250 probes into online predator network targeting children
Modus operandi of group '764'
Live Events
From victims to perpetrators
A global, evolving threat
What should parents know about 764?
FAQs
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has launched an investigation into a global online network of violent predators who go by the name '746'. The group targets children through popular platforms like Discord and Roblox . Authorities describe it as one of the most disturbing criminal threats young people are facing today.FBI Assistant Director David Scott said that all 55 field offices of the FBI are handling active 746-related cases, and over 250 probes are underway across the United States. Scott added that victims as young as nine have been identified. Officials fear that the group has lured thousands across the globe.As per an ABC News report, the 764 network lures teens and children through gaming platforms and social media. These predators first pose as friends or romantic partners and later manipulate the victims into sending sexual images, harming pets, or even self-harming. These acts, reportedly, are recorded and shared within the group or used to extort victims for more graphic material.Some members, the report stated, even host 'watch parties' where others watch live abuse. FBI officials have warned that the network thrives on chaos, promoting violence, mass shootings, neo-Nazism, and Satanism to desensitise the youth.One of the striking cases involved a teen from Connecticut who was lured into 764 and eventually conspired to make bomb threats in her community. Investigators, reportedly, found that she was trained to hack gaming accounts and coerced into spreading threats.Authorities warned that the victims often become perpetrators under pressure from abusers. They said that swatting—making false emergency calls to send armed police to a victim's home—is another intimidation tactic that the perpetrators use when victims try to resist.The name of the group, 764, originated from a Texas zip code where its current jailed founder, Bradley Cadenhead, initially started the Discord community as a teenager. 764 has since branched out to international offshoots, repeatedly rebranding to avoid law enforcement and platform bans.Some of the recent arrests are Prasan Nepal, a 20-year-old North Carolina man charged with operating an elite 764 club, and others, such as Jack Rocker, who collected thousands of images of severe abuse.Parents are being encouraged by authorities to be aware of their children's Internet usage and look out for signs like changing personalities, bruises, or hiding their bodies from the sun, the report stated. Parents need to quickly report anything weird to the cops. Discord and Roblox, among other companies, claim that they are increasing safety procedures and cooperating with law enforcement. Experts have stressed, nevertheless, that being engaged at home is quite important.Parents need to have frank discussions regarding internet safety, supervise their kids' gaming and social media activities, observe changes in mood or behaviour, and inform the police about any suspicious activity.Predators from the 764 network tend to use platforms such as Discord and Roblox, but they also switch between other online environments to remain undetected, so being vigilant across platforms is crucial.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
Ex-Ubisoft execs on trial in France for workplace harassment, including bizarre claims of farting at staff
Who are the accused? Live Events FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Three ex-bosses from Ubisoft are on trial in France for bullying and sexual harassment. The French court heard shocking stories from former staff, mostly women, about the bad behavior of these top bosses. Some of the disturbing things they faced, being tied to chairs, forced to do handstands, sex jokes, drawings of private parts stuck on computers, porn videos played in the office, and a boss who farted in their faces, according to the report by The woman said a manager even drew a penis on her arm during a video call with top leaders. The prosecutor Antoine Haushalter said this trial is a big moment for the video game world, and the #MeToo movement helped people finally speak up. He said there was a lot of strong proof that the bosses were mean and treated workers video game major Ubisoft, the force behind addictive games like Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Just Dance, was allegedly witnessing these incidents during the decade of 2010s at their HQs in Paris, with ex- employees labelling it a 'boys club'.Tommy Francois, 52, Former VP of Editorial & Creative Services is accused of sexual harassment, bullying, and attempted sexual assault. He once pushed a female employee into a lift after tying her to a chair before pushing the buttons of the lift to send her to a random floor. He made a woman in a skirt do handstands. She said she was scared and just wanted him to leave, as per the report by The a 2015 office party, he tried to kiss a woman while two others held her back. She shouted and escaped. Another woman leveled allegations of hair grabbing before a forced kiss at a gaming event in the US against Francois. HR told her not to make a big deal. She also said he showed her nude pics of himself, and once drew on her arm during a video call. Francois denied all the charges, as per Hascoet, 59, Former Chief Creative Officer was accused of bullying and sexual harassment. On a work trip, he said a woman needed sex and joked about doing it in front of everyone. A report by The Guardian claimed that while giving a used tissue to a young woman, he claimed that 'It's worth gold at Ubisoft'.He made weird sex sounds, joked about sex, and made assistants run personal errands like waiting for parcels at his house. Hascoet also denied all the charges and said he never meant to harass Patrux, 41, Former Game Director was accused of sexual harassment and bullying. He punched walls, pretended to hit people, cracked a whip near faces, joked about an office shooting, and even burned someone's beard with a lighter. He also denied all the charges, as per the report by The judges have now finished listening to everyone and will give their final decision later. This is the first major trial in the gaming industry after #MeToo. The prosecutor said sexism and abuse were hidden in this world, but now people are brave enough to speak up, as per are accused of bullying, sexual harassment, and bad behavior at is the first big #MeToo case in the gaming industry and shows people are speaking up now.
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Time of India
Encrypted message advicing 'lay low': How Pakistani Muhammad Shahzeb Khan was hiding in Canada
Muhammad Shahzeb Khan entered Canada from Pakistan on a student visa in 2023. Pakistani national Muhammad Shahzeb Khan was extradited to the US for planning a mass shooting of Jews on the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack in New York City. Khan was hiding in Canada and claimed that if his plan succeeded, it would have been the "largest attack on US soil since 9/11". Canadian media reported that Khan was traced through an encrypted message that he sent someone who thought an ally but was an undercover American agent. The arrest of a father and son over an alleged terrorist plot in Ontario spooked Khan and he sent a message that there was a need to "lay low" on his plans of killing "as many Jewish people as possible in New York", Khan was arrested on his way from Canada to New York to carry out his plans and has now been extradited to the US. The RCMP said it conducted an investigation into Khan in partnership with the FBI and 'as his actions escalated, at no point in time was Khan an immediate threat prior to his arrest.' FBI special agent Khajae Hester said Khan used encrypted messaging apps to communicate with undercover agents posing as willing participants in the plot, asking them to buy 'automatic and semi-automatic weapons.' Here's what Khan planned sitting in Canada United States Attorney General Merrick Garland said Khan was alleged to have had the goal of 'slaughtering, in the name of ISIS, as many Jewish people as possible.' The complaint filed when Khan was arrested said that since last November, Khan 'repeatedly and explicitly expressed his support for ISIS and his desire to carry out terrorist attacks in support of ISIS.' The complaint said Khan boasted the mass shooting would be 'the largest attack on US soil since 9/11. ' According to the complaint filed in Canada, Khan faced three charges in Canada: attempting to leave Canada to commit an offence for a terrorist group, participating in activities of a terrorist group and conspiracy to commit an offence by violating US immigration law or attempting to enter the US unlawfully. How Khan was arrested On July 31, 2024, the RCMP arrested two terrorists -- father and son Ahmed Eldidi and Mostafa Eldidi. Khan got alerted and warned his associates to stay off social media. But the associates, who were undercover agents, told Khan that they had the weapons ready and he should go ahead with the plan. On September 4, 2024, Khan got in a vehicle in Toronto and set off for Napanee to pick up others who were supposed to accompany him on the mission. In Nepanee, they switched to a second car and drove to Montreal where Khan and an 'unidentified female' changed vehicles again, with another person at the wheel When they were about 19 kilometers from the US border, the vehicle was stopped and Khan was arrested. Khan entered Canada in 2023 Khan arrived in Toronto on June 24, 2023 on a student visa. It was not known which university he was enrolled to.
Economic Times
8 hours ago
- Economic Times
Elon under watch? Report says FBI, DHS tracked foreign nationals visiting Musk amid influence concerns
U.S. agencies watched people from other countries who visited Elon Musk. They were worried someone might try to influence him. Musk's strong links with the U.S. government and reported talks with Putin raised security concerns. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Musk, Trump, and Putin Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs U.S. federal agencies were watching foreigners who visited Elon Musk because they thought some of them might try to influence him. The agencies involved included the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, as per tracking happened at Musk's U.S. homes in 2022 and 2023. The investigation mainly looked at visitors from Eastern Europe and a few other places. The FBI and others were briefed about the investigation, but no one was charged. The names or nationalities of the foreign visitors were not made public, according to The Wall Street Journal refused to comment, and Musk's team and the FBI didn't respond either. The government got worried because Musk has sensitive contracts with them and has a lot of access to U.S. officials. Since 2008, Musk's companies have gotten nearly $21 billion from the U.S. government, as per of that money is from SpaceX, his space company that has deals with the Defense Department for launching satellites. Some of those satellites are for the National Reconnaissance Office, which is a secretive U.S. agency, as stated in the report by The started talking about this tracking after Musk had a dramatic fallout with Trump last week in Washington, D.C. Musk had helped Trump's campaign by starting a super PAC last year. But later, staffers in the America PAC got suspicious about Musk's foreign ties and added strict checks to keep foreigners out, as per 2023, it was reported that Musk was regularly talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin since 2022. U.S. officials said Musk and Putin talked about business and world problems, as per reports.A Russian official, Dmitry Peskov, said there was only one call. He said they spoke about space and technology. He said they didn't talk often, as reported by The Wall Street asked, a SpaceX spokesperson said the claims about Musk's talks with Putin were 'misleading' and 'unsubstantiated,' as per the report by The thought some foreigners might try to affect Musk's views or say they spoke once about space, but Musk's team says the claims are not true.
