Fort Wayne police say their detectives are working at least one active investigation involving a violent online network known as 764, whose members target children and coerce them into harming themselves and others.
Detective Brian Martin confirmed the local case at a news conference Wednesday at the Rousseau Center, but declined to give details, saying only that the department is working an active investigation or investigations. The department's strategic communications manager, Ethan Dahlen, opened the briefing with a warning that the trend is capturing children.
Martin said contact often starts innocently on gaming and social platforms such as Roblox, Discord, Telegram and Instagram, then shifts into private side chats. According to an FBI public safety message, victims are pressed for personal information and images, then blackmailed into producing escalating content involving self-harm, animals and other children. Police say the networks target young people roughly ages 8 to 15, and that the acts are often recorded or livestreamed.
The advice to parents was direct: ask who your child is talking to online, and if a child is threatened, save screenshots, usernames, dates and times before deleting anything, because that material can support a local, state or federal investigation.
The warning follows a similar alert last week from Noble County Emergency Management, which urged parents to remove Roblox and Discord from children's devices — though the Noble County sheriff said he is unaware of any active investigation there, and the FBI's Indianapolis Field Office did not confirm Indiana cases. The FBI says it is investigating more than 450 subjects nationwide tied to 764 and similar networks. Anyone who believes a child is being targeted can call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline, or call or text 988 for crisis support.
