10:00 AM EDT, 07/24/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Meta Platforms ( META ) said Wednesday it has removed 63,000 Instagram accounts in Nigeria that were trying to target people with financial sextortion scams.

The number of accounts removed included a coordinated network of about 2,500 accounts, Meta said, adding that sextortion scams have been fueled in recent years by an increase in the activity of "Yahoo Boys," who are cybercriminals operating mainly out of Nigeria.

The cybercriminals targeted predominantly adult men in the US via fake accounts, Meta said.

The company said it also removed Facebook accounts, Facebook Pages and Facebook Groups run by "Yahoo Boys" that were trying to recruit new scammers.

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