Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has taken further action to combat online scams, recently removing over 1,600 Facebook groups linked to “Yahoo Boys,” a term commonly used to describe internet fraudsters in Nigeria.
This new wave of account removals follows an earlier crackdown in July 2024, where 63,000 accounts tied to scam-related activities were purged, according to Meta’s Q1 2024 Adversarial Threat Report.
As part of its most recent action, Meta deleted 7,200 assets in Nigeria alone, including 1,300 Facebook accounts, 200 pages, and 5,700 groups that were reportedly involved in facilitating online scams. These groups were identified as platforms for recruiting, organizing, and training new scammers.
In a statement released on Thursday, Meta reiterated that it has long been taking down accounts connected to fraudulent activities. The company also introduced new mechanisms to expedite the process of identifying and removing scam-related accounts. According to Meta, accounts associated with “Yahoo Boys” fall under its Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy, one of the platform’s most stringent guidelines.
This policy mandates the immediate removal of accounts once they are identified as being engaged in criminal activity.
Meta acknowledged that while it has been tackling these fraudulent accounts for several years, its newly implemented processes will allow for faster identification and removal of scammers from its platforms.
In addition to its efforts against scammers, Meta also introduced enhanced safety features aimed at protecting users, especially teenagers, from sextortion scams. Sextortion is a serious form of online crime where scammers blackmail victims by threatening to release intimate images unless financial demands are met.
To combat this growing threat, Meta has implemented several protective measures. These include blocking suspicious accounts from following teenage users and restricting scammers from accessing follower lists, which are often used as leverage for blackmail.
Meta also introduced a new global protection feature that prevents the screenshotting or recording of temporary images and videos sent via Instagram Direct Message (DM) or Messenger. For users under 18, a feature that automatically blurs images containing nudity and issues a warning about potential risks will be enabled by default.
Meta emphasized its commitment to evolving its defenses to protect its community from sextortion scams, particularly targeting vulnerable teens. The company is working not only to help families and young people recognize and avoid these scams early on but also to prevent scammers from reaching their targets.
Meta is collaborating with other platforms and organizations to address this issue on a broader scale, aiming to tackle the problem comprehensively across all digital spaces.
