It started with cybercrime but has expanded to real world violence. Both the FBI and the NCA have issued warnings about a concerning trend whereby teens are being recruited to engage in real life harm such as violent attacks on others. The Register reports:
A subset of an online group that recruits children and teens for contract shootings, kidnappings, and other real-life violent crimes poses a growing threat to youth, according to the FBI.
In a Wednesday alert, the federal cops warned that In Real Life (IRL) Com, a subset of the underground cybercrime crew The Com offering swat-for-hire and violence-as-a-service, has become increasingly brazen in its real-life violent crime.
The FBI’s alert follows a similar warning from the UK National Crime Agency about a “deeply concerning” trend of The Com recruiting teenage boys to commit a range of criminal acts, from cyber fraud and ransomware to child sexual abuse.
Read more at The Register.