Elijah Palmer was on the hunt for a victim when he first reached out to Ania* over the online gaming platform Roblox. He pretended to approach the young teen as a friend, luring her away to the messaging site Discord.

There, he groomed her into committing a series of haunting and sadistic acts, blackmailing her into cutting his online username handle into her skin and sending him sexual images. He made threats to her and her family, and even told her that if she refused, he would send a manufactured bomb threat to a local school under an email address in her name.

His sickening demands were made as part of an increasingly extreme quest for “clout” among a group of similarly violent-minded boys and young men. These groups, known collectively as Com networks, deliberately target vulnerable victims, usually young girls, to extort them for sadomasochistic “content” to share with other members of the network.

Palmer was jailed for four years and nine months after pleading guilty to a slew of offences, including encouraging or assisting serious self-harm, causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, and making indecent photographs of children at Sheffield Crown Court last month.

Speaking to The Independent, the National Crime Agency (NCA) warned that Com networks are a “deeply concerning” threat that transcends national borders and are causing “unprecedented” and “severe” harm to young girls.

The groups are a “priority” for the Five Eyes intelligence group, which brings together law enforcement agencies from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the US.

Rob Richardson, who is the NCA’s threat lead for Com networks, said the agency was currently investigating around 200 cases involving Com networks, with reports of the abuse up by 2,900 per cent since 2022.

Because of the relatively recent identification of the threat, Mr Richardson explained it is impossible to tell whether this explosion in referrals reflects a rapid growth, or whether offenders are simply being identified more successfully.

But he said Com networks represented a unique challenge. “This is children who are drawn into harmful places online, who are causing this harm to other children,” he said. “Our worry is the severity of the harm”.

Members of Com groups such as 764, which Palmer had joined, target young girls in particularly vulnerable online spaces, including forums for those with eating disorders or who are self-harming. They have been known to coerce and groom victims as young as 11 into seriously harming or sexually abusing themselves, siblings or pets. Pictures and videos of these disturbing acts are then shared with the group as the offender seeks notoriety, and tips on how to “extort” victims are shared through “lore books”.

Discord and Telegram are the two platforms that appear the most in cases, according to Mr Richardson. Both are not currently understood to be included in the government’s social media ban for under-16s because they are seen as messaging apps rather than social media platforms. The government told The Independent its social media ban is “only one set of measures to keep children safe” and that platforms have duties under the Online Safety Act.

Some gaming apps are also believed to be ways that boys are being drawn into the networks.

Palmer is not the first Com network member to face justice in a UK court. In 2025, 19-year-old Cameron Finnigan pleaded guilty to encouraging suicide, possessing a terrorism manual, and indecent images of a child. He was also a member of 764, and was jailed for six years.

Mr Richardson described Com groups as a “gendered threat”. He said the boys involved are usually lonely, socially isolated individuals who struggle to form relationships in real life and spend much of their lives online – a pattern seen with both Palmer and Finnigan.

These boys are then captured by extreme, nihilistic content that is repeatedly fed to them through social media algorithms, pulling them into the murky corners where Com networks operate Mr Richardson said. He added that content linked to the “manosphere”, which promotes male supremacy and aggressive masculinity, is one of the pathways identified as a common route to Com networks.

“A lot of this content is on the clear web, it isn’t necessarily on the dark web, so it’s quite easy to identify,” he said. “It generates a sense of grievance amongst these young men. That bleak view of their own existence drives some of these young people into harmful spaces online.”

Mr Richardson said he believes tech companies should take more responsibility for promoting this sadistic content to young men: “Once you show an interest in this then the algorithms kick in and it shows more and more of this harmful content.

“I think there is a case to be answered for the way algorithms work. There is definitely more that the industry can do. It doesn’t take much [to get fed harmful content].”

The next phase of the Southport Inquiry, launched to understand how killer Axel Rudakubana’s devastating knife attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class could have been prevented, will probe role of social media in radicalising young people.

While many offenders are drawn to Com groups through social isolation and a lack of curiosity from parents and those around them about their online activities, Mr Richardson said that isn’t always the case.

“There are also examples where you have kids who live in what might otherwise be described as caring, loving, well-to-do families, and the parents have first identified this behaviour only once the police have gone through the door,” he said.

He urged parents to have “open” and “non-judgmental” conversations with their children about their online lives.

“Kids are much more cyber-literate than the generation above them, and that often can be quite intimidating for parents,” he said.

“So having those kind of non-judgmental conversations with kids, showing an interest in what they're doing and being able to challenge it, and making use of parental controls is really important.”

A Telegram spokesperson said: “Telegram's terms of service explicitly forbid acts Com/764 take part in. Telegram has been consistently removing groups and channels associated with Com/764 since they were discovered, including with the help of hashes of Com/764 content – both collected by Telegram moderators over the years and provided by outside organisations.”

A Roblox spokesperson said: “This behaviour has no place on Roblox. We engage with law enforcement efforts to hold bad actors accountable. Roblox takes reports of directing users off-platform seriously and we have rules and safety systems designed to make it harder for users, especially younger users, to share personal information or be directed off-platform. We will continue to strengthen our safeguards to help protect our community.”

*Victim’s name has been changed to protect their identity

Discord has been contacted for comment.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI) or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you