The FBI is sounding the alarm about an online extremist network called 764, and the warning hits home for families across the Suncoast. Cases tied to the group and its splinter factions have surged 490% in the past year. Investigators say recruiters target children as young as 11 on gaming platforms like Roblox and Discord, posing as friends before manipulating and blackmailing them into self-harm and violence on camera. A 19-year-old Tucson man, Baron Martin, known online as “Convict,” now faces a 29-count indictment that includes the first terrorism charges ever brought against a 764 member.
What makes this case different from the online safety warnings we’ve heard before is the age of everyone involved. According to the FBI, more than 80% of those connected to 764, both victims and perpetrators, are under 25. In other words, the biggest threat to your child online may be another teenager pretending to be a friend. The FBI has increased resources to shut the group down and is urging parents to watch for strangers trying to move conversations from one platform to another.
If your child has been targeted, the FBI asks that you preserve the messages and report it right away. Local families can talk with their kids about who they game with online, and remember that a conversation today can prevent a crisis tomorrow. Have you talked with your kids or grandkids about online strangers lately?
