63,000 Accounts Removed. Meta Targets Nigerian Scams on Facebook and Instagram

[Social Media]

 

In a significant move to combat online exploitation, Facebook and Instagram, under the umbrella of their parent company Meta, have removed 63,000 accounts from Nigeria linked to "sextortion" scams. These scams, which primarily target young men and boys, have been connected to several tragic suicides, highlighting the severe impact and widespread nature of these malicious activities.

 

Meta's action against these accounts comes in response to a growing threat posed by a group known as the Yahoo Boys. This group is described as a loosely organized network of criminals who use social media platforms to trick their victims. Posing as teenage girls, these scammers send stolen or AI-generated nude images to young men and boys, mainly in the United States. Once the victims reciprocate by sending their own explicit images, the scammers resort to blackmail, demanding money to keep the images private. The FBI has recorded at least 12,600 cases of online sextortion and has linked this crime to 20 suicides, underscoring the severe psychological toll on the victims.

 

Included in the 63,000 accounts taken down was a network of 2,500 accounts linked to a group of 20 individuals. Meta noted that while most of the victims were adults, some scammers also targeted minors. In an effort to protect younger users, Instagram earlier this year implemented new settings that block strangers from messaging underage users by default and blur nudity in direct messages. Despite these measures, many sextortion scammers manage to befriend users before attempting blackmail, as a Bloomberg investigation revealed.

 

The Internet Watch Foundation, a British online safety organization, reported an eightfold increase in sextortion scams involving child abuse material last year, with nine out of ten cases targeting boys. This alarming trend highlights the urgent need for robust online safety measures and swift action against such criminal activities.

 

In a notable case, two Nigerian brothers, Samuel Ogoshi, 22, and Samson Ogoshi, 20, were extradited to the United States last year. They have pleaded guilty to conspiring to sexually exploit teenage boys and are currently awaiting sentencing. Samuel Ogoshi’s messages were directly linked to the suicide of Jordan DeMay, a 17-year-old who took his own life after being blackmailed with an intimate picture he believed he had shared with a teenage girl in 2022.

 

Meta has banned the Yahoo Boys gang and is actively developing new techniques to identify and prevent sextortion scams before they occur. The scammers often share scripts and tips to make their communications sound more authentic, posing as local teenage girls. They send friend requests to numerous people simultaneously to make their accounts appear legitimate, with many mutual friends.

 

"Financial sextortion is a horrific crime that can have devastating consequences," Meta stated. "Our teams have deep experience in fighting this crime and work closely with experts to recognize the tactics scammers use, understand how they evolve, and develop effective ways to help stop them." This statement reflects Meta's commitment to combating this serious issue and protecting vulnerable users from such predatory scams.

 

Credit: Daily Telegraph 2024-07-26

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

[BMW Overlander]

Took them 20 years to do so...

[impulse]

4 minutes ago, BMW Overlander said:

Took them 20 years to do so...

 

Compare that to the speed at which they removed the accounts of Trump supporters and anyone (including doctors) that questioned "safe and effective".

 

[thesetat2013]

I do not think i will ever understand why someone would kill themself just because the threat of posting their naked body online is given. We are all born naked. Family has seen us naked. Who cares if your photo with your pecker hanging out is posted online. How does this hurt you? Maybe it would make someone like Bob angry because they would see how small his pecker is. (sorry Bob) Haha... But seriously, how cares. If my family found my naked photo I would simply explain it and forget it. I have gotten these stupid emails saying to send money or they will release photos of me masturbating because my Pc was hacked and they used my PC camera to see me doing it. I laugh and tell them to go ahead and send to everyone I know. Why succumb to paying bribes or suicide? 

At any rate, it is good that these apps deleted so many accounts. However, for every 1 they stopped, 3 more are waiting to start. 

[thecyclist]

5 hours ago, thesetat2013 said:

I do not think i will ever understand why someone would kill themself just because the threat of posting their naked body online is given. We are all born naked. Family has seen us naked. Who cares if your photo with your pecker hanging out is posted online. How does this hurt you? Maybe it would make someone like Bob angry because they would see how small his pecker is. (sorry Bob) Haha... But seriously, how cares. If my family found my naked photo I would simply explain it and forget it. I have gotten these stupid emails saying to send money or they will release photos of me masturbating because my Pc was hacked and they used my PC camera to see me doing it. I laugh and tell them to go ahead and send to everyone I know. Why succumb to paying bribes or suicide? 

At any rate, it is good that these apps deleted so many accounts. However, for every 1 they stopped, 3 more are waiting to start. 

Absolutely, although I heard that there are certain individuals with mushroom penises that don't want the world to know about their organ and its activities, and are willing to spend 130000 $ for non disclosure. What was  his name again?

[stevenl]

10 hours ago, thesetat2013 said:

I do not think i will ever understand why someone would kill themself just because the threat of posting their naked body online is given. We are all born naked. Family has seen us naked. Who cares if your photo with your pecker hanging out is posted online. How does this hurt you? Maybe it would make someone like Bob angry because they would see how small his pecker is. (sorry Bob) Haha... But seriously, how cares. If my family found my naked photo I would simply explain it and forget it. I have gotten these stupid emails saying to send money or they will release photos of me masturbating because my Pc was hacked and they used my PC camera to see me doing it. I laugh and tell them to go ahead and send to everyone I know. Why succumb to paying bribes or suicide? 

At any rate, it is good that these apps deleted so many accounts. However, for every 1 they stopped, 3 more are waiting to start. 

So you're validating your email address to scammers. Smart move.

Your empathy is impressive.

[tgw]

now if they could also remove the accounts of pro-Russian operatives, that would be braw.

Edited July 26 by tgw

[impulse]

2 hours ago, tgw said:

now if they could also remove the accounts of pro-Russian operatives, that would be braw.

 

And next year, when a different mob is in power and they censor what you agree with?

[candide]

More assault on the first amendment! 😃

[tgw]

39 minutes ago, impulse said:

And next year, when a different mob is in power and they censor what you agree with?

 

I'm ok with the removal of any and all accounts of "operatives". All fake accounts of all colors and inclinations, of people pretending to be someone else.

Edited July 26 by tgw