Each wrote separate stories that the news organizations agreed to publish in tandem. This story contains descriptions of abuse, self-harm, murder, and suicide. Reader discretion is advised. It sounds like a cheap true-crime conspiracy: An international network of predators steeped in Satanism lure children from seemingly harmless online platforms like Discord , Minecraft , and Roblox and extort them to sexually exploit and grievously harm themselves.
Some victims are even pushed to suicide. This reporting consortium has obtained and analyzed more than 3 million messages from more than 50 chat groups on Discord and Telegram. The messages expose multiple com subgroups and thousands of users in nearly a dozen countries on three continents. Our investigation found ample evidence of predatory conduct and a persistent presence across apps including Telegram and Discord, while WIRED also found com activity on Instagram, SoundCloud, and Roblox.
The platforms are aware of these groups, but they have yet to successfully eradicate them. The abuse perpetrated by members of com groups is extreme. Victims have flushed their heads in toilets, attacked their siblings, killed their pets, and in some extreme instances, attempted or died by suicide. Court records from the United States and European nations reveal participants in this network have also been accused of robberies, in-person sexual abuse of minors, kidnapping , weapons violations, swatting, and murder.
Some members of the network extort children for sexual pleasure, some for power and control. Some do it merely for the kick that comes from manipulation. Others sell the explicit CSAM content produced by extortion on the dark web. And for you to take your own life. They really are very sadistic people. The organization, which routes reports from social media companies and the public to law enforcement, still receives dozens each month, she says.
Since mid, investigators have launched criminal cases against more than a dozen people linked to com groups in the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Romania, and Brazil. The US Department of Justice is pursuing further charges through federal grand jury proceedings. The com network is also connected to a nihilist Eastern European skinhead crew whose members are accused of a series of random attacks and killings in Ukraine and Russia.
