Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, has announced the removal of 63,000 accounts linked to ‘Yahoo Boys,’ a term commonly associated with the Nigerian cybercrime scene. These accounts, deleted over recent weeks, were used for financial sextortion scams and distributing blackmail scripts, primarily targeting users in the United States.
In a statement, Meta disclosed that although most of the scammers’ attempts were unsuccessful and mainly targeted adults, there were some instances of targeting minors. The company highlighted the borderless nature of financial sextortion, noting the involvement of ‘Yahoo Boys,’ loosely organized cybercriminals primarily operating from Nigeria, who specialize in various scams.
Meta stated, “We’ve removed around 63,000 accounts in Nigeria attempting to target people with financial sextortion scams, including a coordinated network of around 2,500 accounts. We’ve also removed a set of Facebook accounts, Pages, and groups run by Yahoo Boys—banned under our Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy—that were attempting to organize, recruit, and train new scammers.”
The social media giant identified and disabled these accounts using advanced technical signals and comprehensive investigations, enhancing its automated detection systems. This crackdown follows an earlier warning from the FBI about the “growing threat” of financially motivated extortionists targeting children. These criminals often coerce teenage males into sharing sexually explicit images and then threaten to publicly release the images unless the victim pays an extortion fee.
Meta’s investigation revealed a coordinated network of approximately 2,500 accounts linked to a group of around 20 individuals based in Nigeria. These individuals primarily targeted adult men in the United States, using fake accounts to mask their identities. The network was also connected to thousands of other assets, including accounts, pages, and groups that provided tips for conducting scams, including scripts for sale and guides for scamming people.
