RCMP reminds Canadians about violent online groups targeting youth

ONTARIO—The RCMP’s National Security Program is partnering with the National Child Exploitation Crime Centre to protect youth from the threat of violent online groups.

Officials say these online groups are affiliated with known Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremist (IMVE) entities and target young people online with the intent of inciting them to record or live stream acts of self-harm, suicide, animal cruelty and/or produce child abuse material. The footage is then distributed to online networks and used to further control and extort the young victims. In many cases, the perpetrators are themselves minors. Victims may ultimately be encouraged or coerced into victimizing others.

Key motivations for members of these groups include spreading their ideology, gaining notoriety, collecting extremely violent online content, and increasing their status within their groups.

They operate on public platforms, including gaming platforms, social media sites, and mobile applications popular with young people (Roblox, Discord, Minecraft, Twitch, Telegram, Steam, etc.). This type of violation usually begins with a direct message via gaming platforms and can move to more private chat rooms on other virtual platforms, usually one with video capabilities, where the conversation quickly becomes sexual or violent.

One of the tactics these actors use is sextortion, but they don’t use it to extort money or for sexual gratification. Instead, they use it to further manipulate and control victims into producing more harmful and violent content as part of their ideological goals and path to radicalization.

One IMVE group that targets children is commonly known as the 764 Network (or “the com”), but has several nicknames. Some of the largest subgroups are known as: CVLT, Court, Kaskar, Harm Nation, Leak Society, 7997, 8884, 2992, 6996, 555, Slit Town, 545, 404, NMK, 303, and H3ll.

There are many serious crimes committed by these groups, the most worrying being sexual exploitation, harming children and animals, and attempting to have victims commit suicide on camera.

Warning signs

Below are some key indicators that your child may be targeted by an IMVE group that creates online child sexual abuse and violent content:

• They are located on the mobile application Discord, Telegram or other encrypted communication platforms and you as a parent have no insight into them.
• They receive anonymous gifts, items delivered to their home, currency, game currency, or other virtual items.
• They show interest or affinity with extreme messages online, including conspiracy theories, anti-government rhetoric, or sympathy/support for extreme messages or online propaganda.
• They show a sudden, new interest in questioning or rejecting moral constraints on their behavior, along with an interest in Nazism, school shootings, serial killers, and the occult.
• Pets or other animals are being abused or dying in suspicious ways.
• You notice that a pet is unusually avoiding or afraid of your child or you.
• Writing with blood or what appears to be blood.
• They have a new online ‘friend’ or network that they seem to be in love with and/or afraid of.
• They cover their skin in unusual ways.
• They have more and more bandages and there are traces of cuts, wounds on their skin, stab wounds and more.
• They are quieter than normal and noticeably withdrawn.
• They are extremely moody and tense.
• Their grades are going down.
• They spend more time on the internet, unsupervised or alone in their room.
• They spend more money online or ask for it more often than normal.
• They scribble names and/or numbers in notebooks, diaries and loose papers.

Please note: These indicators are not important on their own, but when viewed in clusters or in conjunction with all circumstances, they can become more meaningful and give cause for concern.

The RCMP asks parents, guardians and adults in positions of authority to be aware of any indicators that a child or youth is being targeted or exploited and to report the information to Cybertip.ca or your local police department. If you believe someone is in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.