Security News > 2024 > July > Meta nukes massive Instagram sextortion network of 63,000 accounts
Meta has removed 63,000 Instagram accounts from Nigeria that were involved in sextortion scams, including a coordinated network of 2,500 accounts linked to 20 individuals targeting primarily adult men in the United States.
The social media giant said these accounts are linked to an organized cybercrime group called 'Yahoo Boys,' that has recently increased its operational volume.
Apart from the offending Instagram accounts, Meta has also deleted 1,300 Facebook accounts, 200 Facebook Pages, and 5,700 Facebook Groups, also based in Nigeria, that were handing out tips and training material for carrying out various scams.
Measures have been implemented to automatically block attempts by scammers to rebound by creating new accounts on social media platforms.
Sextortion scams is a form of cybercrime where perpetrators coerce individuals into sending explicit images or videos and then threaten to release them unless a ransom is paid, or more media is sent.
Sextortion can have devastating, long-lasting effects on the victim, so social media platforms that scammers abuse to carry out this crime are actively working towards the quick identification and removal of offending accounts.