Scottish police to target online gangs forcing children to self-harm
Detectives in Scotland have joined international law enforcement in targeting online gangs which groom and coerce children into acts of self-harm.
Detectives in Scotland have joined international law enforcement in targeting online gangs which groom and coerce children into acts of self-harm.
Officers are hunting members of loose online networks of sadists known as The Com, which mainly targets girls on gaming platforms and social media.
The groups, mostly comprised of teenage and young adult males, have risen in prominence in recent years after cases involving sextortion and hacking, as well as self-harm encouragement.
The Molly Rose Foundation - a suicide prevention charity helping young people and families victimised by the network - said the groups .
Flagged by National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the United States, the material was eventually passed to Police Scotland and on to Paul's desk.
He now has the job of sifting through horrific images of abuse and injury to identify the victim, as well as the Scottish perpetrator, and among the pictures are occult or Satanic sigils, a way for the abusers to appear as extreme as possible, says Craig.
With these particular groups anyway, it's about how extreme, how much exploitation can you inflict on an individual.
In August, 20-year-old Justin Swaddle was jailed for two years for blackmailing and coercing more than 100 victims into acts of self-harm, including carving his online username on their bodies.
We're finding a lot of vulnerable young girls that are between 11 and 17.
We are seeing cases where perpetrators online are targeting young vulnerable people, usually girls, and they are manipulating them, they are coercing them into sharing indecent images of themselves.
And therefore they are encouraging those that are vulnerable, usually young females...
Paul, not his real name, is a detective constable working in Police Scotland's internet investigations unit, and in May, the NCA said it was investigating around 200 cases involving these networks, while there have been a number of convictions.
He continued: These networks represent the gravest risk to children online, with every UK police force investigating Com cases, the threat is real and widespread.
What happened
Detectives in Scotland have joined international law enforcement in targeting online gangs which groom and coerce children into acts of self-harm.
Officers are hunting members of loose online networks of sadists known as The Com, which mainly targets girls on gaming platforms and social media.
The groups, mostly comprised of teenage and young adult males, have risen in prominence in recent years after cases involving sextortion and hacking, as well as self-harm encouragement.
What changed
The Molly Rose Foundation - a suicide prevention charity helping young people and families victimised by the network - said the groups .
Flagged by National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the United States, the material was eventually passed to Police Scotland and on to Paul's desk.
Who is affected
He now has the job of sifting through horrific images of abuse and injury to identify the victim, as well as the Scottish perpetrator, and among the pictures are occult or Satanic sigils, a way for the abusers to appear as extreme as possible, says Craig.
Why it matters
With these particular groups anyway, it's about how extreme, how much exploitation can you inflict on an individual.
In August, 20-year-old Justin Swaddle was jailed for two years for blackmailing and coercing more than 100 victims into acts of self-harm, including carving his online username on their bodies.
Technical details
We're finding a lot of vulnerable young girls that are between 11 and 17.
We are seeing cases where perpetrators online are targeting young vulnerable people, usually girls, and they are manipulating them, they are coercing them into sharing indecent images of themselves.
And therefore they are encouraging those that are vulnerable, usually young females...
Response
Paul, not his real name, is a detective constable working in Police Scotland's internet investigations unit, and in May, the NCA said it was investigating around 200 cases involving these networks, while there have been a number of convictions.
What security teams should do
He continued: These networks represent the gravest risk to children online, with every UK police force investigating Com cases, the threat is real and widespread.
Attribution
BBC News: Detectives in Scotland have joined international law enforcement in targeting online gangs which groom and coerce children into acts of self-harm.
What to watch next
Watch for additional victim details, indicators of compromise and follow-on exploitation reports.