‘Sadistic sextortion’: Law enforcement agencies warn parents about violent online gangs targeting children

International law enforcement agencies are issuing urgent warnings to parents about the risk of violent online groups targeting their children on popular social media, messaging and gaming platforms in a sadistic sextortion scheme.

Earlier this month, The Nightly revealed the Australian Federal Police was on high-alert to this emerging crime type, in which extreme online communities are preying on vulnerable kids – as young as 12 years old – to inflict horrific abuse and trauma for “their deranged amusement”.

Now the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has issued a fresh alert about these transnational criminal cults which coerce children to cut themselves, kill their pets and produce severe sexual and violent content in a terrifying new trend of “sadistic sextortion”.

This comes around the same time the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation and Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States have issued their own public warnings.

The RCMP National Security Program says it is working with Canada’s National Child Exploitation Crime Centre to protect young people from these violent online groups.

The key motivators of these groups are to gain notoriety and rise in status within their groups.

The involvement of the National Security Program – which works in collaboration with intelligence and law enforcement partners to protect Canada, its people and its interests against the greatest domestic and international criminal threats – indicates these “Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremist” groups are being treated as terrorists.

“These online groups have ties to known Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremist entities and are targeting youth online with the intention of getting them to record or live-stream acts of self-harm, suicide, animal torture and/or produce child sexual abuse material,” the RCMP said.

“The footage is then circulated among online networks and used to further control and extort the young victims. In many cases, perpetrators are minors themselves.

“Victims may end up being encouraged or coerced into victimising others.”

Key motivators for members of these groups are to spread their ideology, gain notoriety, collect extreme violent online content, and rise in status within their groups.

They operate on publicly available platforms, including gaming platforms, social media sites and mobile applications that are popular among young people.

These include Roblox, Discord, Minecraft, Twitch, Telegram, Steam and Guilded.

“This type of offence usually starts with a direct message through gaming platforms and can move to more private chatrooms on other virtual platforms, typically one with video enabled features, where the conversation quickly becomes sexualised or violent,” the RCMP said.

“One of the tactics being used by these actors is sextortion, however, they are not using it to extract money or for sexual gratification.

“Instead they use it to further manipulate and control victims to produce more harmful and violent content as part of their ideological objectives and radicalisation pathway.”

One group targeting children is commonly known as the 764 network (or “the com”) but goes by various monikers.

Some of the largest sub-groups are known as: CVLT, Court, Kaskar, Harm Nation, Leak Society, 7997, 8884, 2992, 6996, 555, Slit Town, 545, 404, NMK, 303, and H3ll.

These depraved and violent groups are committing many major and serious crimes.

Police are most concerned about the sexual exploitation, harm inflicted on children and animals, and attempts to get victims to commit suicide on camera.

The FBI recently issued a public warning about these violent online groups that deliberately target minors on publicly available messaging platforms to extort them into recording or live-streaming acts of self-harm and producing child sexual abuse material.

The FBI identified eight violent online groups whose members target minors between the ages of 8 and 17, seeking to harm them for their own “own entertainment or their own sense of fame”.

“These groups use threats, blackmail and manipulation to control the victims into recording or live-streaming self-harm, sexually explicit acts, and/or suicide; the footage is then circulated among members to extort victims further and exert control over them,” the FBI said last year.

“The violent online groups use many names … but continuously evolve and form subgroups under different monikers.

“To gain access to a majority of these groups, prospective members are required to live-stream or upload videos depicting their minor victims harming animals or committing self-harm, suicide, murder, or other acts of violence.

“The key motivators of these groups are to gain notoriety and rise in status within their groups.”

The FBI said the groups target minors between the ages of 8 and 17 years old, especially LGBTQ+ youth, racial minorities, and those who struggle with a variety of mental health issues, such as depression and suicidal ideation.

Police around the world are warning parents to be vigilant about their children’s device usage, particularly if they use mobile application Discord, Telegram or other encrypted communications platforms and “for which you have no visibility as a parent”.

Victims might be spending more time on the internet, unsupervised or alone in their room and spending more money online or asking for money more often than usual.

Victims could also be more quiet than usual, uncharacteristically withdrawn, excessively moody and on edge.

Parents might notice sudden changes in their child’s personality, behaviour, appearance or sleeping patterns.

Authorities warn parents to be alert to their children exhibiting or covering up scars, carvings on the skin, fresh cuts, scratches, bruises, bite marks, burns or other wounds.

Other key indicators that a child could be the target of an IMVE group includes that they are receiving anonymous gifts, items delivered to their home, currency, gaming currency or other virtual items.

Earlier this month AFP commander of human exploitation Helen Schneider, who also runs the ACCCE, urged parents and guardians to look out for warning signs that young people are being groomed by these coercive groups online.

“If parents believe their child is engaging in harmful activity online, it’s important to have a conversation with them to understand the situation and provide appropriate support,” she said.

“Warning signs children may be engaging in harmful activity online may include increased screen-time on computers or phones, isolating themselves from friends and family or being secretive about who they are interacting with online.

“Whether a child is or has been a victim of sextortion online, please reassure them it’s not their fault and report it to the ACCCE.”

If you think you are a victim or know of someone who is a victim of sadistic sextortion:

DO stop the chat

DO take screenshots of the text and profile

DO block the account and report it to the platform

DO get support from a trusted friend or family member, or professional support services and seek mental health support if required.

Kids Helpline offers free and confidential sessions with counsellors.

DO report the crime to the ACCCE

DON’T send more images or pay as this will lead to more demands

DON’T respond to demands

DON’T enter into further communication

DON’T think you are alone

If you have information about people involved in child abuse, you are urged to contact the ACCCE at www.accce.gov.au/report.

If you know abuse is happening right now or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000.