Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has intensified its crackdown on online scam networks, with the deletion of 1,600 Facebook groups associated with ‘Yahoo Boys.’ This move is part of an ongoing effort to curb fraudulent activities across its platforms.
In its latest action, Meta revealed that the groups were involved in recruiting, organizing, and training individuals to engage in internet scams. The company’s Q1 2024 Adversarial Threat Report noted that this new purge comes on the heels of a previous one in July, where 63,000 accounts linked to scam-related activities were removed.
As part of the broader crackdown, Meta also deleted 7,200 assets in Nigeria, including 1,300 Facebook accounts, 200 pages, and 5,700 groups, all of which were implicated in providing scam-related resources. This concerted effort highlights Meta’s focus on combatting fraudulent activities, particularly in regions where internet fraud is rampant.
Meta’s spokesperson explained, “Yahoo Boys are banned under Meta’s Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy — one of our strictest policies — which means we remove Yahoo Boys’ accounts engaged in this criminal activity whenever we become aware of them.” The company has introduced new processes to expedite the identification and removal of such accounts.
In addition to targeting scammers, Meta has rolled out enhanced safety features aimed at protecting users, especially teenagers, from sextortion scams. These measures include blocking suspicious accounts from following teens and restricting access to follower lists that scammers often exploit for blackmail purposes.
Sextortion, described as a serious crime by Meta, involves threatening to expose intimate images of victims unless financial demands are met. To address this, Meta is deploying global protections, including features that prevent the screenshotting or recording of ephemeral images sent via Instagram DM or Messenger. A new function that automatically blurs images containing nudity and alerts underage users to potential risks will also be enabled for those under 18.
Meta emphasized, “We’ll continue to evolve our defenses to help protect our community from sextortion criminals. This includes helping teens and their families recognize these scams early, preventing potential scammers from reaching their targets, and working with our peers to fight these criminals across all the apps they use.”
This comprehensive approach underscores Meta’s commitment to combating cybercrime, ensuring user safety, and working collaboratively with other platforms to protect vulnerable users.
