LAGOS (Reuters) – Meta Platforms announced on Wednesday that it removed about 63,000 Facebook accounts in Nigeria. These accounts were involved in Facebook sextortion scams. The scams primarily targeted adult men in the United States. #FacebookSextortionScams
Nigerian online fraudsters, known as “Yahoo boys,” are notorious for scams. They frequently pose as people in financial need or Nigerian princes offering high returns on investments.
Meta stated that the removed accounts included a smaller network of about 2,500. This network connected to a group of around 20 individuals.
“They targeted primarily adult men in the U.S. and used fake accounts to mask their identities,” Meta said.
In Facebook sextortion scams, people are threatened with the release of compromising photos. These photos can be real or faked. The threats continue until the victim pays to stop them.
The investigation showed that most of the scammers’ attempts were unsuccessful. Although they primarily targeted adults, there were also attempts against minors. Meta reported these cases to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in the U.S.
The company said it had used a combination of new technical signals developed to help identify sex extortion. #FacebookSextortionScams
Nigeria’s scammers became known as “419 scams” after the section of the national penal code that dealt – ineffectively – with fraud.
As economic hardships worsen in the country of over 200 million people, online scams have increased. Those behind these scams operate from university dormitories, shanty suburbs, or affluent neighborhoods.
Meta said some accounts were providing tips for conducting scams.
Despite the failures, scammers did attempt to target minors, which raises further concerns. In addition, a smaller, coordinated network of around 2,500 accounts was linked to about 20 individuals.
Consequently, Meta’s actions are crucial in disrupting these fraudulent operations and protecting vulnerable users online.
