Meta Platforms, Inc. announced Wednesday it had deleted more than 63,000 Instagram accounts tied to a sextortion scam based in Nigeria. Sextortion is a crime in which a perpetrator threatens to expose sexually compromising information such as sexually explicit private images unless the victim meets certain demands. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has reported that 12,600 victims were registered between 2021 and 2023, the majority of whom are boys. More than 20 have committed suicide.
bi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/memphis/news/sextortion-a-growing-threat-targeting-minors -:~:text=The sextortion involved at least, to at least 20 suicides.
The Social media giant said the Nigerian accounts were part of a larger network controlled by just 20 people, who used the platform to target adult men in the United States.
The tech company also revealed it had removed 1,300 Facebook accounts, 200 pages, and 5,700 groups connected to the same criminal operation. The group, known as the “Yahoo Boys,” is notorious for sextortion scams targeting teenagers in Australia, Canada, and the U.S.
Nigerian “Yahoo Boys” are notorious for scams that range from passing themselves off as people in financial need or Nigerian princes offering an outstanding return on an investment.
The crackdown comes just days after the Nigerian government slapped Meta with a U.S.$220 million fine for regulatory violations. While the company hasn’t publicly linked the two events, the timing is notable.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
