Detectives in Scotland have joined international law enforcement in a crackdown on online gangs that groom and coerce children into acts of self-harm. Officers are actively pursuing members of loosely affiliated online networks known as "The Com," which primarily targets girls on gaming platforms and social media.
These groups, largely composed of teenage and young adult males, have gained notoriety in recent years for involvement in sextortion, hacking, and the encouragement of self-harm. One arrest has been made in Scotland thus far, with a few convictions recorded in England. The Molly Rose Foundation, a suicide prevention charity assisting victims of these networks, has warned that these groups pose "the gravest risk to children online."
Abuse for 'Kudos'
Detective Constable Paul, from Police Scotland's internet investigations unit, described reviewing disturbing images of abuse and injury submitted by the National Crime Agency (NCA). These materials, initially flagged by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in the United States, are now being meticulously examined to identify victims and perpetrators within Scotland.
"Unfortunately, we are getting a lot of self-harm imagery," Paul told BBC News. "There's nearly a thousand images in this particular case, and we need to go through every single one of those."
The cases are linked to "Com" groups, which use mainstream social media to manipulate and blackmail girls into harming themselves, often for the "kudos" or clout among their peers. Images reviewed by investigators include a young girl's arm covered in blood and blood used to draw a symbol on a bathroom wall. Police allege that the girl in this instance was directed to harm herself by a young male in Scotland she met online. Investigators noted that vulnerable girls between the ages of 11 and 17 are frequently targeted, with perpetrators exploiting other existing vulnerabilities.
Some images feature occult or Satanic sigils, which investigators believe are used by abusers to appear as extreme as possible, rather than reflecting genuine belief. Det Ch Insp Craig Faulds, who leads Scotland-focused efforts against these groups, described the crimes as "an evolution of online child abuse and sexual exploitation."
"The Com" refers to loosely affiliated online groups involved in abuse, financial crimes, and extremism. Groups such as "The 764" and "CVLT" have been implicated in recent court cases, though membership and group structures are fluid. In May, the NCA reported investigating approximately 200 cases involving these networks. In August, 20-year-old Justin Swaddle was sentenced to two years in prison for blackmailing and coercing over 100 victims into acts of self-harm, including carving his online username onto their bodies.
Faulds indicated that abusers often target victims on innocuous gaming platforms, with communication then moving to social media, messaging services, and online forums. "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," he stated. "Some of the more serious cases are seen by coercing individuals to cause acts of serious self-harm."
Police Scotland has identified both victims and perpetrators in Scotland and is mapping the threat to understand its prevalence and significance.
The Abusers
Hazel Stewart, from the NCA's Threat Leadership team, characterized the Com groups as "low-volume, high-harm," emphasizing that the scale of the groups is less important than the harm inflicted.
Stewart explained that abusers are often young males who experience social isolation or bullying. "They find their own identity online, they can be whoever they want to be," she said, adding that they seek out vulnerable individuals, particularly young females, often on sites related to suicidal ideation or eating disorders, and encourage them into more private online spaces.
Abusers typically build relationships with victims, offering initial support before encouraging harmful acts. These acts may begin with minor injuries and can escalate, with the grooming and manipulation continuing to the point where the victim feels unable to escape. Stewart described the threat as a "global problem," with the UK collaborating with law enforcement agencies in the United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, as well as Interpol and Europol.
The Molly Rose Foundation has also raised alarms about Com networks, calling them "the frontline of child protection online." Chief executive Andy Burrows stated that the online safety regulator Ofcom had been warned about the threat of online gangs but was slow to respond, highlighting perceived weaknesses in the Online Safety Act. "These networks represent the gravest risk to children online, with every UK police force investigating Com cases, the threat is real and widespread," Burrows said. "It's also clear that these risks exist beyond just social media, on gaming platforms and encrypted messaging apps, which is why Andy Burnham must move beyond a blanket social media ban and incentivise all online platforms to become safe for young people as a price of doing business in the UK."
An Ofcom spokesperson affirmed that the threats posed by Com groups are a significant concern and that the organization is working closely with law enforcement and child protection agencies. "Where services fail to comply with their duties, we've shown that we won't hesitate to act."
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