764 and Com

What at first sight may look like a "secret online community" or "dark challenge" turns out in reality to be a worldwide network of sadistic online groups. Under names such as "764", "Com" or "Felix cult", anonymous users operate who manipulate young people into hurting themselves or others, sometimes with fatal consequences.

To outsiders, the videos and chat groups seem incomprehensible: symbols, numbers, and a mix of satanist and nihilist language. Yet they follow a recognisable pattern: young people are given tasks ("levels", "tests") that become increasingly extreme: from self-harm to making humiliating or sexual images. Those who refuse are often blackmailed or humiliated.

The FBI and the Dutch police are now investigating dozens of cases in which young people have become involved in such networks. In the Netherlands, a suspect is even being held in the terrorism wing of the prison, because these groups also display ideological and extremist characteristics.

Young people become involved out of understandable needs and vulnerabilities:

• Belonging: the group promises exclusivity, status and recognition.
• Meaning in chaos: the nihilist message ("nothing matters") offers something to hold on to for young people who feel lost or powerless.
• Online thrill: challenges, secrecy and group pressure work like an addictive game.
• Searching for identity: for young people struggling with self-image or trauma, it feels like a place where pain is seen, but it is then abused.

• Anonymous platforms: perpetrators approach young people discreetly via anonymous platforms (e.g. Discord, Telegram, in-game chats), making contact and supervision harder to control.
• Gamification of violence: challenges, rewards and "ranks" make destructive behaviour part of a game structure.
• Psychological manipulation: victims are alternately praised ("good job") and humiliated ("weak"), creating dependency.
• Ideological framing: the network uses various threatening symbols and messages (such as satanist, far-right or anarchist) to influence and isolate young people psychologically.
• Shame and blackmail: as soon as a young person shares an image or video, it is used as leverage.

• Young people active online in closed groups or servers with names such as 764, Com, pain, chaos and/or Felix.
• Unexplained injuries or self-harm that seem to follow "challenges".
• Use of hashtags or terms such as #764cut, #painchallenge, #be_the_cause and/or #comtask.
• Images or stories about (animal) abuse, violence or self-mutilation presented as a "joke" or "test".
• Young people who react anxiously or secretively when asked about their online contacts.
• Sudden decline in school performance, shame, isolation or low mood.

Escalate to GEVAARLIJK (dangerous) with suspicions of blackmail, self-harm or sexual exploitation: report this immediately in line with the applicable procedures within your organisation or to the competent authorities. This network is not a "trend" but a dangerous network that uses extreme psychological pressure, sometimes with fatal consequences.

• Acknowledge the seriousness: 764 is not a "trend" but a dangerous network that uses extreme psychological pressure.
• Work in a trauma-sensitive way: young people can appear to be both victim and accomplice; listening without judgement is crucial.
• Strengthen digital resilience: teach young people to look critically at online group pressure, "challenges" and anonymous contacts.
• Make group agreements: agree in classes, teams or youth centres on how to deal with filming, posting and online challenges.
• Call in help in good time: with suspicions of blackmail, self-harm, sexual exploitation, etc., report this immediately in line with the applicable procedures within your organisation or to the competent authorities.
• Involve parents: inform them about what 764 is, without dramatising but with an emphasis on open conversation and supervision.
• Provide aftercare: victims can experience long-term psychological harm; keep watching for signals, also after an incident.

In a group
- "What do you know about online groups like 764 or 'Com'?"
- "Why do you think some people find this exciting or interesting?"
- "When does something that starts as a joke or a challenge actually become dangerous?"
- "What would you do if someone asked you to do something painful 'for the team' or 'for respect'?"

One-to-one
- "Have you ever seen weird or nasty things in group chats or games?"
- "What would you do if someone threatened to post something of yours?"
- "Have you ever taken part in an online 'challenge' that didn't feel right?"
- "What does it mean when someone says you have to do something to 'prove' you belong?"

Keep the conversation open and without judgement. Young people often sense themselves that something is wrong, but do not dare to talk out of shame or fear.

• TrendSein – '764' en 'Com': De duistere verleiding van digitale macht (TrendSein newsletter, Trendsein - duistere verleiding digitale macht.pdf, p. 1–6)