Meta deleted tens of thousands of Instagram accounts from Nigeria as part of it about sextortion scams. The accounts primarily targeted adult men in the U.S., but some also targeted minors, Meta said in an update.
The removals are part of a larger effort by Meta to combat sextortion scams on its platform in recent months. Earlier this year, the company added an automatic security feature to Instagram messages and warn users about potential blackmail scams. The company also provides in-app resources and security tips on such scams.
According to Meta, the recent takedowns included 2,500 accounts linked to a group of about 20 people working together to run sextortion scams. The company also took down thousands of accounts and groups on Facebook that offered tips and other advice, including scripts and fake photos, for would-be sextortionists. Meta said the accounts were linked to the Yahoo Boys, a group of “loosely organized cybercriminals operating mainly outside Nigeria and specializing in various types of fraud”.
Meta has come under scrutiny for not doing enough to protect teens from sextortion on its apps. Senator Lindsey Graham during a Senate hearing earlier this year about whether the parents of a child who died by suicide after falling victim to such a scam could sue the company.
While the company said the “majority” of scammers it detected in recent takedowns targeted adults, it confirmed that some accounts also targeted minors and that the accounts were reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. (NCMEC).
