An RCMP detachment on the southern tip of Vancouver Island is investigating reports of an online group exploiting children and youth in the area.
West Shore RCMP said the online group is violent and similar in nature to a group known as the “764,” which is part of a larger online network known as “The COM.”
This network “deliberately targets, victimizes and recruits vulnerable children ages 8-17,” West Shore RCMP said in a release.
It is a virtual community of people and groups who conduct illicit activities that glorify violence, cruelty and gore, according to the RCMP.
Groups within this network are known to have extreme ideological views and victimize children by desensitizing and radicalizing them to violence.
They operate on platforms such as Discord, Telegram, Roblox, Minecraft, Twitch and other streaming platforms and groom children by establishing trust or a romantic relationship or getting children to engage in serious violence, self-harm and gore activities, RCMP warned.
These acts can include recording or photographing themselves, siblings or others:
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- in sexually explicit poses;
- committing sexual acts or sexually exploiting others;
- harming or killing animals, including family pets;
- harming others or self-harming;
- attempting or dying by suicide;
- committing other acts of violence.
RCMP is warning that there are signs for parents and guardians to watch out for, including:
- They have a new online “friend” or network they seem infatuated with and/or scared of.
- They are receiving anonymous gifts, items delivered to your home, currency, gaming currency or other virtual items.
- They are demonstrating an interest or affinity to consumption of gore content, interest in disasters, self-harm, suicide, moral nihilism, occultism and True Crime Community (TCC)-related content
- Writing in blood or what appears to be blood.
- They are spending more time on the internet, unsupervised or alone in their room.
- They are spending more money online or asking for money more often than usual.
RCMP recommends that parents and other adults have open and honest communication about online activities and familiarize themselves with all online apps and games.
If you believe your child or youth is being targeted or exploited online, report the information to Cybertip.ca or your local police immediately.
If you believe someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
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