Meta platforms removes 63,000 accounts in Nigeria involved in financial sexual extortion scams
On Wednesday, Meta Platforms disclosed its action to remove approximately 63,000 Facebook accounts originating from Nigeria. These accounts were identified for their involvement in financial sexual extortion schemes, predominantly targeting adult men in the United States.
The Nigerian perpetrators, widely known as “Yahoo boys”, are infamous for their various fraudulent activities, ranging from impersonating individuals in financial distress to posing as Nigerian royalty promising lucrative returns on investments.
According to Meta’s statement, the removed accounts also encompassed a smaller network of about 2,500 profiles associated with approximately 20 individuals. These perpetrators primarily focused on adult men in the U.S., utilizing fake identities to conceal their true personas.
The scamming technique, known as sexual extortion or “sextortion”, involves threatening individuals with the release of compromising photos—whether genuine or fabricated—unless they pay to prevent their dissemination.
Meta’s investigation revealed that while the majority of these extortion attempts were unsuccessful, there were instances of targeting minors as well. Meta promptly reported these cases to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in the United States.
To combat such illicit activities, Meta utilized advanced technical signals developed specifically to identify instances of sexual extortion. The company’s proactive measures underscore its commitment to safeguarding users from online exploitation and fraud.
The prevalence of such scams in Nigeria, often referred to as “419 scams” after the relevant section of the penal code, reflects the challenging economic conditions facing the country’s population of over 200 million. Perpetrators operate from diverse locations, including university dormitories, impoverished neighborhoods, and affluent areas alike.
Additionally, Meta uncovered that some of the removed accounts were actively promoting scamming techniques. These efforts included selling scripts and instructional guides for conducting scams, as well as sharing links to photo collections used to populate fake profiles.
Meta Platforms continues to enhance its strategies and technologies to mitigate online fraud and protect its global user base from exploitation.
