Meta Platforms said Wednesday it had removed about 63,000 Instagram accounts in Nigeria that were attempting to carry out sextortion scams and primarily targeted adult men in the United States .
See also: Wizz removed from App Store and Google Play due to sextortion attacks
Nigerian online fraudsters, known as “Yahoo boys,” are notorious for scams ranging from impersonating people in financial need to Nigerian princes offering excellent returns on an investment.
Meta said in a statement that it discovered 63,000 accounts on Instagram, adding that it had also removed 7,200 accounts, pages and Facebook groups dedicated to providing advice about the scam. The company also took down a smaller coordinated network of about 2,500 accounts, which were linked to a group of about 20 people .
In sexual blackmail, or "sextortion," carried out by Instagram accounts, people are threatened with the publication of revealing photos, either real or fake, if they do not pay the amount you ask them for.
The majority of the scammers' attempts were unsuccessful, and although they primarily targeted adults, there were also attempts against minors, which Meta reported to the US National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
See also: Deepfake & Sextortion: Fraudsters create inappropriate content using your social media
Meta representatives said it wasn't the first time they had disrupted such networks, but added that they were disclosing the current operation to raise public awareness about these scams.
The social media giant has placed greater emphasis on safety in recent years as governments, including lawmakers in the United States where Meta is based, increase pressure to address concerns about the impact of its services on children.
In a hearing earlier this year, a US lawmaker accused Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other social media leaders of having “blood on their hands” for failing to protect children from escalating threats of sexual abduction on platforms .
The U.S. Surgeon General also called for a warning label to be added to social media apps as a reminder of these risks
The Nigerian fraudsters who carried out the sextortion scams via Instagram became known as “419 scams” afterthe section of the national penal code that dealt – ineffectively – with the fraud.
See also: Malicious Google, Instagram, WhatsApp apps steal credentials
As economic hardship worsens in the country, online scams have increased, with those behind them operating from college dormitories, suburbs or affluent neighborhoods. Meta said some accounts provided tips on how to run scams.
🔒 Protect your privacy with Proton VPN
Swiss VPN from the creators of Proton Mail — strict no-logs policy, strong encryption, and built-in NetShield that blocks ads, trackers, & malware.
- ✔ No-logs, based in Switzerland (except 14-Eyes)
- ✔ NetShield: blocks ads, trackers & malicious domains
- ✔ Covers all devices — free version available
The link is an affiliate link — SecNews may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. It does not affect the independence of our article writing.
Source: Reuters
