|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has deleted 1,600 Facebook groups associated with so-called ‘Yahoo Boys’, following an earlier crackdown in July that removed 63,000 accounts involved in fraudulent activities. The company’s Q1 2024 Adversarial Threat Report revealed that 7,200 assets in Nigeria were also taken down, including 1,300 Facebook accounts, 200 pages, and 5,700 groups, all connected to scam-related operations.
According to Meta, these groups were engaged in recruiting, training, and organizing scammers. The company reaffirmed that Yahoo Boys are banned under its strict Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy, and it is implementing new processes to more swiftly identify and remove such accounts.
Additionally, Meta introduced new safety features to combat sextortion scams, particularly targeting teenagers. These measures include blocking suspicious accounts from following teens and preventing scammers from accessing follower lists for blackmail purposes. Meta also rolled out protections that prevent screenshotting or recording of private images on Instagram DM and Messenger, as well as a feature that blurs nude content for users under 18.
Meta emphasized its commitment to evolving defenses against sextortion and working with other platforms to fight online criminal activities.
