Meta has announced the removal of about 63,000 Facebook accounts from Nigeria involved in financial sextortion scams. These scams typically involve scammers posing as attractive women to trick victims into sending nude photos, which are then used to extort money.
In addition to these accounts, Meta has taken down around 7,200 resources, including 1,300 Facebook accounts, 200 Facebook Pages, and 5,700 Facebook Groups, all linked to Nigeria. These pages and groups provided scammers with guidance, scripted dialogues for victim interaction, and collections of images for creating fake identities.
Meta also removed approximately 2,500 accounts linked to a coordinated network operated by about 20 individuals. Their investigation revealed that most sextortion attempts targeting adult men in the United States were unsuccessful. However, some minors were targeted, and Meta reported these instances to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Financial sextortion is a global issue, often involving Nigerian cybercriminals known as Yahoo Boys, who engage in various online scams, including sextortion. Meta has banned Yahoo Boys under its Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy, ensuring swift removal of any associated accounts.
Sextortion often begins with romance scams, with Nigeria being a major player in online romance fraud in Africa. Scammers are also targeting mobile games for exploitation.
In response, Meta is testing advanced technology to combat sextortion. This includes a new auto-blur feature in Instagram direct messages, which automatically blurs images if nudity is detected.
