Meta takes down thousands of Facebook, Instagram accounts running sextortion scams from Nigeria

AP Technology Writer

Meta says it has removed about 63,000 Instagram accounts engaging in sexual extortion scams. It has also taken down Facebook groups and pages that were trying to organize, recruit and train new scammers. The accounts were located in Nigeria. Meta said it also removed a coordinated network of about 2,500 accounts as part of the takedown. Sexual extortion, or sextortion, involves persuading a person to send explicit photos online and then threatening to make the images public unless the victim pays money or engages in sexual favors.