Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, announced in its Q1 2024 Adversarial Threat Report on Wednesday that it has removed 63,000 accounts linked to the notorious “Yahoo Boys” scam group.
These accounts, deleted over the past few weeks, were involved in financial sextortion scams and distributing blackmail scripts. Meta also reported dismantling a smaller network of 2,500 accounts connected to about 20 individuals who primarily targeted adult men in the United States using fake identities.
Meta explained that it identified and disabled these accounts through a combination of advanced technical signals and thorough investigations, thereby enhancing its automated detection systems.
“Financial sextortion is a borderless crime, fueled in recent years by the increased activity of Yahoo Boys, loosely organised cybercriminals operating largely out of Nigeria that specialize in different types of scams,” the social media giant stated.
It added, “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 company explained.
During the investigation, Meta found that most scammers’ attempts were unsuccessful, although some had targeted minors. These cases were reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Meta also shared information with other tech companies through the Tech Coalition’s Lantern program to help curb these scams across platforms.
Additionally, Meta removed around 7,200 assets in Nigeria, including 1,300 Facebook accounts, 200 pages, and 5,700 groups that were providing scam-related resources. These assets were found offering scripts and guides for scams and sharing links to collections of photos for creating fake accounts.
Since this disruption, Meta’s systems have been actively blocking attempts from these groups to return, continually improving their detection capabilities.
The company noted that it has been working closely with law enforcement, supporting investigations and prosecutions by responding to legal requests and alerting authorities to imminent threats.
Meta stated that its efforts extend beyond account removal.
“We also fund and support NCMEC and the International Justice Mission to run Project Boost, a program that trains law enforcement agencies around the world in processing and acting on NCMEC reports.
“We’ve conducted several training sessions so far, including in Nigeria and the Cote d’Ivoire, with our most recent session taking place just last month,” the firm revealed.
To protect users, especially teens, Meta disclosed that it has implemented stricter messaging settings for users under 16 (under 18 in certain countries) and displays safety notices to encourage cautious behaviour online.
Last week, Meta was fined $220m by Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission for multiple violations of data protection laws linked to WhatsApp.
The investigation, initiated in May 2021, found that Meta’s privacy policies infringed on users’ rights, including unauthorized data sharing and discriminatory practices.
Meta plans to appeal the decision, arguing that it disagrees with the findings and the imposed penalty. The FCCPC aims to ensure fair treatment of Nigerian users and compliance with local regulations.