Facebook shuts down 63,000 Nigerian accounts in crackdown on 'Sextortion' schemes

In a significant crackdown on online fraud, Meta has removed approximately 63,000 Facebook accounts from Nigeria involved in financial sexual extortion scams targeting primarily adult men in the United States. These scams, orchestrated by Nigerian online fraudsters known as "Yahoo boys," have become infamous for their various schemes, including posing as individuals in financial distress or as Nigerian princes offering lucrative investment returns.

In an official statement, Meta revealed that, in addition to the vast number of individual accounts, a smaller coordinated network of around 2,500 accounts linked to a group of about 20 individuals was also taken down. "They targeted primarily adult men in the U.S. and used fake accounts to mask their identities," Meta stated.

Sextortion, or sexual extortion, involves threatening individuals with the release of compromising photos—either real or fake—unless a payment is made. Meta's investigation indicated that most of these fraudulent attempts were unsuccessful. However, there were instances of targeting minors, which Meta promptly reported to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in the U.S.

New technical measures

Meta highlighted the use of new technical signals developed to identify and combat sextortion more effectively. This effort is part of the company's ongoing battle against online scams and fraudulent activities.

Rise of "419 scams"

Nigerian scams, commonly referred to as "419 scams" after the section of the national penal code that deals with fraud, have proliferated amid worsening economic conditions in the country of over 200 million people. These scams are often operated from various locations, including university dormitories, shantytowns, and affluent neighbourhoods.

Scammers' tactics

"Their efforts included offering to sell scripts and guides to use when scamming people and sharing links to collections of photos to use when populating fake accounts," Meta noted. This organised approach underscores the sophisticated nature of the scams and the lengths to which perpetrators go to deceive their victims.

Meta's crackdown is a significant step towards curbing online financial sexual extortion and protecting users from such malicious activities. The company's continued vigilance and development of new technical tools are crucial in the fight against online fraud.