Instagram removes 63,000 ‘sextortion’ accounts in Nigeria

Instagram owner Meta says it has removed thousands of accounts in Nigeria that were trying to target people in sextortion schemes.

Such scammers typically pose as young women online to trick people into sending sexually explicit material before blackmailing them.

Victims of sextortion crimes have taken their own lives due to the stress, stigma and shame felt after being scammed.

Meta said in a blogpost, external on Wednesday it had removed about 63,000 accounts that tried to engage with the scams.

“Financial sextortion is a horrific crime that can have devastating consequences,” it said.

The company said it also took down 5,700 Facebook groups in which scammers were offering tips on how to scam people.

Experts and authorities have previously warned social media users to remain aware and alert of the scam’s dangers amid their apparent rise.

In May, 16-year-old Murray Dowey from Dunblane took his own life after being targeted by criminals.

And the BBC found sextortion guides being sold on social media platforms in May.

Perpetrators of sextortion scams present themselves to a user online as a potential romantic interest with the aim of getting them to send explicit or intimate images of themselves – often by sending a nude image first and asking for one in return.

Senders are then threatened with having their intimate images circulated publicly unless they send payment.