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FBI Dallas Open Letter to Parents, Guardians, and Teachers.

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Teachers,

I want to share some important information about a growing safety threat from violent online networks commonly referred to as “764.” Their members often connect with minors on popular online gaming and social media platforms, build their trust by posing as friends, and then coerce them into harming themselves or others.

Violent online networks such as 764 operate around the world, including right here in North Texas. Some are driven by hatred, sexual gratification, or a desire for chaos. Regardless of their motivation, they have a common target: children and other at-risk individuals. These networks use the trust they initially build to manipulate victims into harming themselves or others. They coerce victims into sharing personal information and explicit pictures and videos, which are then used to blackmail their victims into creating more content depicting escalating sexual and violent behavior. Members of these networks sometimes livestream this content. When victims refuse to comply, their pictures and videos are sent to family members or made publicly available online. They might further coerce their victims by swatting, doxxing, or vandalizing their homes.

The FBI is investigating more than 450 subjects who are tied to these violent online networks. We have worked with federal prosecutors who successfully prosecuted these predators and are tirelessly working to investigate others.

Here in North Texas, FBI Dallas is aggressively investigating violent online network members and working with prosecutors to hold these criminals accountable. We are leveraging our expertise in fighting crimes against children and partnering with other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, as well as our international partners, to tackle this growing problem. Last month, we announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Austin Jan Sy Yatco of Plano, Texas. He is accused of exploiting minors into creating child po*******hy of themselves, which he then distributed among a violent online network similar to 764.

In addition to investigating and bringing these criminals to justice, we are working to increase public awareness about this growing threat. As part of our efforts, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with some potential warning signs that your child may be a victim of these violent online networks:

Sudden behavior changes such as dropping out of activities, becoming withdrawn, moody, or irritable, or changes in eating or sleeping habits.
Sudden changes in appearance, especially neglect of appearance or hiding specific body parts, for example, by wearing long sleeves or pants in hot weather.
Scars, skin carvings, fresh cuts, scratches, bruises, bite marks, burns, or other wounds. These may appear in patterns, including names, numbers, or symbols.
Unexplained or suspicious injury to a pet, or a pet uncharacteristically avoiding or fearing a child in your home.
Threatening to commit su***de, openly talking about death, not being wanted or needed, or not being around.
Unexplained gaming currency or gift cards, or items delivered to your home.
Law enforcement arriving at your home because of swatting or doxxing, or your home being vandalized.
Please talk to your children about this threat. You can help protect them by following these tips:

Monitor your children’s online activities, including cell phone usage, and make use of parental controls. Consider allowing Internet access only while a trustworthy and responsible adult is nearby.
Don’t post personal information or family videos or photos online, which could be exploited.
Talk to your children about the risks of sharing personal information, images, and videos online, or accepting friend requests or using video calls with people they do not know personally.
Reassure your children that they can come to you for help.
You can find additional helpful tips here: https://buff.ly/ussz6IZ

We remain determined to identify and stop those who target our children. The public plays a vital role in identifying these criminals and their activities. Parents, teachers, and guardians: We need your help to root out these criminals. If someone you know is a victim or if you have information about a member or the activities of these networks, please report it by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or visiting tips.fbi.gov. If someone is in immediate danger, please dial 9-1-1.

Respectfully,

Joe Rothrock FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge