Keypoints
- Europol’s Project Compass, involving law enforcement from 28 countries, resulted in 30 arrests and 179 suspects tied to The Com.
- Investigators identified 62 victims and directly safeguarded four minors targeted by the group.
- The Com is a decentralized English-speaking network that grooms and recruits young people for extortion, violence, and CSAM production.
- Organized into subgroups like Offline Com, Cyber Com, (S)extortion Com and the grooming-focused “764,” two alleged 764 leaders were arrested and face life sentences.
- The collective has been linked to high-profile ransomware and intrusion incidents, including attacks on Marks & Spencer, Co-op, Harrods, and previous Las Vegas casino breaches.