Milwaukee FBI Warning of Online Threats Targeting Vulnerable People and Children

Friday, April 24th, 2026 -- 11:01 AM

(David Clarey, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) The Milwaukee FBI is warning of an online threat where some are targeting vulnerable people and children to convince them to commit acts of violence, self-harm, produce child sexual abuse material or other troubling behavior.

According to David Clarey with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the FBI says people causing this are part of violent online networks, loosely referred to as 764, where followers of the group's beliefs manipulate youth and ask them to do those activities, referred to as sadistic online exploitation.

In an open letter to parents and guardians, Alan Karr, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Milwaukee office, asked parents to be vigilant and recognize signs their child may be interacting with those groups.

The signs include animal cruelty, harming younger siblings, talk of suicide or death, and scars of signs or names from online platforms. "Online networks prey on our most vulnerable, including children," Karr told media at an April 22 press conference.

Typically, youth targeted are female teenagers, and those manipulating are males in their late teens or early 20s, Karr said. He asked parents to monitor their children's online activities and to take care with posting photos or videos online, especially of their children.

Karr declined to identify any specific Wisconsin cases involving members who follow the ideology of 764 or similar beliefs. However, he said every FBI field office, including Milwaukee's, is investigating cases related to it and there are currently over 450 investigations active.

The people and groups carrying out these actions act in a troubling way across the United States and world, Karr said. The reason for their actions can vary, but broadly can be for sexual gratification, to bring about the end of society or gain notoriety.

They do not work in the typical manner of a criminal organization, instead using social media sites and gaming platforms to connect with vulnerable youth and manipulate them.

The Journal Sentinel previously reported on this issue, in a report on the online activity of the teenaged shooter of the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison in 2024. The person's activity showed a belief that society needed to end and that people were scum, according to that report.

Karr declined to address that shooting and its possible connection to 764-related groups. Often 764 and those conducting this behavior have been associated with the imagery of white supremacy, neo-Nazism and satanism, according to reports from Wired and the Anti-Defamation League.

The Anti-Defamation League's report said 764 began in 2021 and was once led by its leader, a teenaged boy. However, he was arrested that same year, and the group became decentralized.

Now, people act both independently and in tandem with others to carry out these actions, Karr said. The FBI is asking those who are aware of someone attempting to manipulate them or someone else in this way to call the agency at 1-800-CALL-FBI or go to tips.fbi.gov.

The FBI also has an online crime complaint center at ic3.gov.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.