LAGOS, – Meta Platforms Inc. announced on Wednesday the removal of approximately 63,000 accounts in Nigeria involved in financial sexual extortion scams primarily targeting adult men in the United States.
The fraudulent activity was linked to Nigerian online scammers, colloquially known as “Yahoo boys.” These scammers are infamous for a range of deceitful schemes, including posing as individuals in financial distress or as Nigerian princes promising substantial returns on investments.
In a statement, Meta disclosed that the accounts were primarily on Instagram. Additionally, the company removed 7,200 Facebook accounts, pages, and groups that provided advice on scamming methods.
Meta’s investigation identified a smaller coordinated network comprising around 2,500 accounts linked to approximately 20 individuals. “They targeted primarily adult men in the U.S. and used fake accounts to mask their identities,” Meta stated.
Sextortion, or sexual extortion, involves threatening victims with the release of compromising photos unless a payment is made to prevent the photos’ dissemination. While the majority of these attempts were unsuccessful, Meta reported that some efforts targeted minors. These cases were reported to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in the U.S.
Meta utilized a combination of new technical signals to identify sextortion attempts. “Their efforts included offering to sell scripts and guides to use when scamming people, and sharing links to collections of photos to use when populating fake accounts,” the company added.
Nigerian scammers, often associated with “419 scams” (named after the section of the national penal code addressing fraud), have adapted to worsening economic conditions in the country, which has a population exceeding 200 million. Online scams have proliferated, with perpetrators operating from various environments, including university dormitories, shantytowns, and affluent neighborhoods.
Meta’s proactive measures mark a significant effort to curb the activities of these scammers and protect potential victims from exploitation.
Source: Reuters