Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has intensified its efforts to combat online fraudsters, particularly those known as Yahoo Boys. In recent weeks, the company has deleted over 1,800 Facebook groups linked to these scammers and removed 63,000 Instagram accounts involved in financial sextortion scams.
Meta’s crackdown has involved a series of measures.
The company has been aggressively removing accounts associated with Yahoo Boys, targeting those involved in organizing, recruiting, and training new scammers.
Meta has introduced new safety features to protect users, especially teenagers, from sextortion scams. These features include blocking suspicious accounts, limiting visibility of follower lists, and preventing screenshots and recordings of ephemeral content.
Meta is rolling out a nudity protection feature on Instagram DMs, which will blur images containing nudity and warn users of associated risks.
Yahoo Boys are online fraudsters who originated in Nigeria and have become increasingly active in targeting victims worldwide. Their tactics often involve sextortion, where they threaten to expose intimate images unless they receive payment.
Meta’s ongoing efforts to combat these scammers demonstrate the company’s commitment to protecting its users and combating online crime.