Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, announced in its Q1 2024 Adversarial Threat Report, removing 63,000 accounts associated with the “Yahoo Boys” scam group.
The accounts were used for financial sextortion scams and distributing blackmail scripts, primarily targeting adult men in the United States.
A smaller network of 2,500 accounts, connected to about 20 individuals, was also dismantled. Meta identified these accounts using advanced technical signals and comprehensive investigations, enhancing its automated detection systems. The company stated that “Yahoo Boys” are cybercriminals, mainly operating from Nigeria, specializing in various scams.
Meta also removed a set of Facebook accounts, Pages, and groups under its Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy, which were being used to organize, recruit, and train new scammers. Some cases involved targeting minors, which were reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The company shared information with other tech firms through the Tech Coalition’s Lantern program to help curb these scams across platforms. Additionally, Meta removed 7,200 assets in Nigeria, including Facebook accounts, Pages, and groups that provided scam-related resources.
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Meta is working closely with law enforcement and supporting investigations by responding to legal requests and alerting authorities to imminent threats. The company also funds and supports initiatives like Project Boost to train law enforcement in processing and acting on reports of exploitation.
In a separate development, Meta was fined $220 million by Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission for multiple data protection violations related to WhatsApp. Meta plans to appeal the decision, disputing the findings and the penalty.
