Meta Platforms announced on Wednesday that they had removed approximately 63,000 Facebook accounts originating from Nigeria. These accounts were actively involved in financial sexual extortion scams, commonly known as “sextortion,” which primarily targeted adult males in the United States. This action represents a significant blow to a notorious group of Nigerian online fraudsters, often dubbed “Yahoo boys”, who are infamous for their intricate and often successful scams.
These scammers employ a range of tactics, including posing as individuals in dire financial straits or even as wealthy Nigerian princes offering lucrative investment opportunities. Meta revealed that the removed accounts included a smaller, yet coordinated, network of approximately 2,500 accounts, linked to a group of around 20 individuals. These individuals utilized fake accounts to conceal their identities and target their victims.
The essence of sextortion lies in the threat of releasing compromising photos, real or fabricated, to the victim unless they comply with the scammer’s demands for payment. Despite the extensive nature of the scam operation, the investigation revealed that most of the scammers’ attempts were unsuccessful. However, a concerning element emerged: a portion of the attempts were directed toward minors, prompting Meta to report these incidents to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in the United States.
Meta emphasized their utilization of innovative technical signals specifically designed to identify and disrupt sex extortion schemes. This action underscores the company’s commitment to combating online scams and safeguarding its user base.
The origins of the term “419 scams” can be traced back to section 419 of Nigeria’s national penal code, which addressed fraud, albeit ineffectively. The rise of these scams is directly linked to the escalating economic hardships faced by a nation of over 200 million people. The perpetrators of these scams operate from diverse locations, ranging from university dormitories and impoverished suburbs to affluent neighborhoods.
Meta disclosed that some of the removed accounts were actively disseminating tips and strategies for carrying out these scams. Their activities included selling scripts and guides for manipulating victims and sharing links to collections of photographs used to populate fake accounts. This revelation highlights the alarming sophistication and organization behind these fraudulent operations.
