Meta removes 63,000 Nigerian accounts involved in sextortion scams targeting U.S. adults

Meta Platforms announced on Wednesday that it has removed approximately 63,000 accounts from its platforms in Nigeria that were attempting to engage in financial sexual extortion scams, primarily targeting adult men in the United States. These scams, often perpetrated by Nigerian online fraudsters known as “Yahoo boys,” are notorious for various deceptive practices, including sextortion.

The social media giant revealed that the bulk of the accounts were on Instagram, with an additional 7,200 accounts, pages, and groups on Facebook also taken down for promoting scamming techniques. Meta also dismantled a smaller network of about 2,500 accounts linked to a group of around 20 individuals.

Sextortion involves threatening individuals with the release of compromising photos, either real or fake, unless a ransom is paid. While most of the scammers’ attempts were unsuccessful, Meta reported that some attempts were made against minors, which were referred to the U.S. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Meta representatives emphasized that this was not the first time they had disrupted such networks but disclosed this operation to raise public awareness. The announcement comes as Meta faces increasing scrutiny from governments, particularly in the United States, where lawmakers are pressuring the company to address concerns about the potential harm its services may cause to children.