Content advisory: This reporting contains descriptions of violence against people and animals. Viewer discretion is advised.
LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Predators are lurking online inside games played by children, waiting to lure them off the platforms and into danger.
That's the subject of a renewed warning by the FBI as a group of violent extremists is catching more children in their net than ever before.
WATCH: The Las Vegas FBI details its monitoring of 764 and what red flags parents should look out for:
Back in June, I reported on a local family who filed a lawsuit against Roblox, accusing the platform of being a predator pipeline after their 11-year-old daughter was targeted inside a popular game.
Now, we're learning more about one specific group we first told you about last year, which the FBI is now pursuing in all 50 states. Across the country, federal agents are tracking bad actors they categorize under the umbrella term 764, which represents a violent extremist ideology.
"The actors behind 764-type groups want to bring chaos to society," FBI Las Vegas Special Agent In Charge Christopher Delzotto told me. "They don't value human life."
Delzotto tells me every field office in the country is investigating 764. The FBI Chicago office called them a "gore group" in a public service announcement.
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What parents need to know about '764,' a violent online network targeting teens
"764 is a violent online group made up of individuals who seek to coerce and manipulate children into engaging in unspeakable acts against themselves, animals, and other children. Even suicide," Delzotto said.
Several cases investigated by the San Antonio office revealed underage girls were coerced into cutting their tongues, torturing and killing a cat on a live video call, burning themselves, carving names into their arms, and overdosing on pills.
As ABC News reported earlier this year, 764 was created about four years ago by then-15-year-old Bradley Cadenhead. He was sentenced in 2023 to serve nearly 80 years behind bars for child pornography. Texas Department of Justice records show his parole was denied on June 5.
You can watch Nightline's full special, Web Of Danger, below. Viewer discretion is advised.
The FBI says Cadenhead named 764 after the first three digits of his zip code in Stephenville, Texas. The group started on Discord and then moved to other platforms like Roblox and Telegram.
At Channel 13, we first reported on 764 last May. At the time, the FBI had more than 250 investigations underway and since then, that number has more than doubled.
"I would say that we are over 500 cases at this point, as an agency, looking at 764," Delzotto said. "Keep in mind that we are not the only agency that looks at 764."
MAY 2025 | Channel 13 anchor Tricia Kean breaks down what parents should know about 764:
I asked him why cases are surging.
"It's a target-rich environment, right? A lot of the platforms that these actors play on — for lack of a better term — are the targets set for this group, which are minors, usually female, under the age of 17," Delzotto said.
He says 764's victims usually have unfettered internet access.
"And with that, if you combine the fact of, I'll say lack of oversight, it becomes very easy to identify these vulnerable populations and exploit them as these groups do," he said.
The exploitation starts in a way victims don't detect as predators find ways to get close and earn their trust before taking things offline. It escalates into coercing them into sharing personal information and explicit pictures and videos, which are then used to blackmail and manipulate victims.
What red flags should parents look for?
"So, there's quite a few," Delzotto said. "A sudden change in your child's behavior, a sudden change in your child's appearance, having an ear on their discussions or all of a sudden, they're talking about suicide. Are they interested in animal cruelty."
Delzotto also said to keep an eye out for your child's personal information suddenly appearing online or unexpected gifts arriving to your home.
If you're concerned about your child's immediately safety, call local law enforcement.
You can also submit information to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, known as IC3, at tips.fbi.gov or by calling 1-800-225-5324.
You can also contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.