A major international investigation has uncovered a Nigeria-based cybercrime network allegedly responsible for carrying out widespread online sextortion schemes that targeted teenagers across several countries, with authorities linking the crimes to multiple reported suicides.
The operation, involving investigators from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Nigeria, focused on suspects believed to be part of a loosely organised criminal network commonly referred to as “Yahoo Boys”. Officials say the group allegedly lured young victims through fake social media profiles before blackmailing them with intimate images in exchange for money.
According to investigators, the operation marks one of the most coordinated international crackdowns on financially motivated sextortion originating from Nigeria. Law enforcement agencies said dozens of suspects have been identified or arrested as part of the investigation, while digital evidence seized during coordinated raids is expected to aid further prosecutions.
The FBI said the investigation was launched following a surge in complaints from families whose children had been manipulated into sharing explicit images online before being threatened with public exposure unless they paid money. Authorities say at least 20 teenage suicides in the United States since 2021 have been linked to similar sextortion cases, with investigators tracing some of the crimes back to Nigeria.
Investigators described the scheme as highly organised, with perpetrators allegedly posing as young women on popular social media platforms to gain victims’ trust. Once explicit photographs were exchanged, the victims were allegedly threatened with the release of the images to friends and family unless immediate payments were made.
The investigation has also renewed scrutiny of online fraud networks operating from Nigeria. In recent years, technology company Meta removed tens of thousands of Facebook and Instagram accounts linked to Nigerian sextortion operations, while also dismantling groups allegedly used to recruit and train online scammers.
Officials stressed that international cooperation remains critical in combating cyber-enabled extortion, warning that the criminals often target vulnerable teenagers across borders while operating from different jurisdictions.
Authorities urged parents to educate children about the dangers of sharing intimate images online and encouraged victims to report sextortion attempts immediately rather than complying with extortion demands.
The investigation remains ongoing, with law enforcement agencies indicating that further arrests and prosecutions are expected as forensic examinations of seized devices continue.
