Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, announced on Wednesday that it has taken significant action against online scammers in Nigeria by removing 63,000 accounts. These accounts were linked to individuals using Meta’s social media services to blackmail targets after soliciting intimate photos.
Meta announced that it had also deleted thousands of additional accounts, pages, and groups that were distributing scripts on how to blackmail and sexually extort users. The Facebook accounts were involved in financial and sexual extortion scams, primarily targeting adult men in the United States.
Nigerian online fraudsters, often referred to as “Yahoo boys,” are notorious for various scams, including posing as individuals in financial distress or as Nigerian princes offering lucrative investment returns. In this instance, the scammers used fake accounts to mask their identities and engage in “sextortion,” threatening victims with the release of compromising photos unless they paid to prevent it.
Meta revealed that the removed accounts included a smaller, coordinated network of about 2,500 accounts linked to a group of roughly 20 individuals. These scammers mainly targeted adult men in the U.S., but there were also attempts against minors, which Meta reported to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in the U.S.
The investigation showed that most of the scammers’ attempts were unsuccessful. Meta utilised new technical signals to identify and combat sextortion activities. Additionally, some accounts were found to be providing tips and guides on conducting scams, as well as links to collections of photos for creating fake accounts.
Online scams have grown in Nigeria as economic hardships worsen in the country of more than 200 million people. Scammers operate from various locations, including university dormitories, shanty suburbs, and affluent neighborhoods.
Meta’s crackdown aims to protect users and maintain the integrity of its platforms, which include Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, from fraudulent activities and exploitation.
Melissa Enoch
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