Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has removed 63,000 accounts linked to the infamous “Yahoo Boys” scam group.
The company announced today, July 24, in its Q1 2024 Adversarial Threat Report, that these accounts were involved in financial sextortion scams and distributing blackmail scripts.
Meta reported that a smaller network of 2,500 accounts, associated with about 20 individuals, mainly targeted adult men in the United States using fake identities. These accounts were identified and disabled through a combination of advanced technical signals and comprehensive investigations, which enhanced Meta’s automated detection systems.
“Financial sextortion is a borderless crime, fueled in recent years by the increased activity of Yahoo Boys, loosely organized cybercriminals primarily operating out of Nigeria who specialize in various types of scams,” Meta explained. “We’ve removed around 63,000 accounts in Nigeria attempting to target individuals with financial sextortion scams, including a coordinated network of around 2,500 accounts.”
Meta also removed a series of Facebook accounts, Pages, and groups run by Yahoo Boys, which were banned under the Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy, as they were attempting to organize, recruit, and train new scammers.
During the investigation, Meta found that most scammers’ attempts were unsuccessful, though 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 via the Tech Coalition’s Lantern program to help curb these scams across platforms.
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 said it has also been working closely with law enforcement, supporting investigations and prosecutions by responding to legal requests and alerting authorities to imminent threats. Meta’s 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.”
To protect users, especially teens, Meta has implemented stricter messaging settings for users under 16 (under 18 in certain countries) and displays safety notices to encourage cautious behavior online.
Last week, Meta was fined $220 million by Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission for multiple violations of data protection laws related 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.
Source: THE PUNCH.