63,000 sextortion-related Instagram profiles were removed in Nigeria alone, according to a statement released by Meta.
The action was taken against a loosely organized group of cybercriminals that operate mostly out of Nigeria and specialize in various forms of fraud, referred to as the Yahoo Boys.
Numerous accounts were removed by Meta, including over 2,500 that belonged to a gang of about 20 offenders that worked together and mostly targeted adult males in the US.
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Sextortion has been a problem for many years. It is the practice of blackmailing someone into giving up money in exchange for them not disclosing private photos and videos.
Sextortion and sextortion schemes are occasionally carried out by individuals who know the target, but most of the time, cybercriminals who have no are at fault based on their relationship to the victim.
Furthermore, Meta removed almost 7,200 assets, all of which were headquartered in Nigeria and included 1,300 Facebook profiles, 200 Facebook Pages, and 5,700 Facebook Groups.
These accounts offered entire directions, scripts, and training for pulling off scams.
Nigeria continues to battle its image as a hotbed of internet-based fraud (the public still remembers the ‘Nigerian Prince’ email hoax), and there are reports that some citizens are duped into becoming con artists by means of wealthy-seeking ‘classes’ and schemes.
Isaac Oginni, Director of INTERPOL’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Center (IFCACC), recently stated that hundreds of people have been arrested following a successful operation that targeted organized crime networks in West Africa.
‘There is a concerning rise in the amount of financial fraud originating in West Africa.
The outcomes of this surgery. emphasize how vital it is for foreign law enforcement agencies to work together to tackle these vast criminal networks.
Meta’s analysis revealed some attempts to target youngsters, but overall it demonstrated that most of these scammers’ attempts were unsuccessful and mostly targeted adults.
The amount of sextortion cases involving children and teenagers has significantly increased, according to a January 2024 FBI study.
These instances typically involve threats and coercion to share obscene photographs online by the perpetrators.
Youngsters are deceived into sharing images of themselves in their underwear, which are then used to threaten the victim with exposure.
They are made to feel as though they are speaking with someone their own age.
The BBC published a story last month illustrating the terrible effects of Sextortion can occur, particularly to children.
Data about a Scottish girl who committed suicide after falling prey to an Instagram sextortion group was provided by Meta in that particular case.
In February, a US Senate committee threw doubt on Meta’s efforts to safeguard minors online and demanded that the social media behemoths take more action overall.
Mark Zuckerberg and the other CEOs were held immediately accountable by Ranking Member Senator Lindsey Graham in his opening remarks.
You and the businesses that came before us, Mr. Zuckerberg, have blood on your hands.
I am aware that this isn’t how you intended things to be. There are people dying from your product.
Ever since, Meta has claimed to have picked up new signs for recognizing
The business is taking action to help stop accounts that might be involved in sextortion from locating and contacting teenagers.
Our teams work closely with experts to distinguish between con artists’ tactics,
Understand their growth, and develop effective countermeasures because they have a great deal of expertise resisting this type of criminal activity their schemes.’
It would appear from these takedowns that this is really the case. To carry on with their cybercrime, these con artists will surely return to social media sites.
We suggest reading Internet safety recommendations for kids and teens: A thorough guide for the modern parent if you are a parent and don’t know where to start when it comes to keeping your kids safe online.
If minors are being taken advantage of, the FBI queries, They ought to report it as they were the victim of a crime.
Make a report online at tips.fbi.gov, over the phone at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or in person at your neighborhood FBI field office.
Keep yourself safe!
Our assistance with social media protection extends beyond simply reporting on threats.
Never let a headline highlight a cybersecurity vulnerability. Cyrus, powered by Malwarebytes, is a great tool for social network account security.
