The Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, has announced the arrest of 22 Nigerians accused of orchestrating a series of sextortion schemes.
According to the FBI, the sextortion scams have led to the suicides of more than 20 teenage boys in the United States since 2021.
The latest arrests were made as the result of Operation Artemis, a landmark collaborative effort involving law enforcement agencies from Nigeria, the US, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
The suspects were apprehended after almost two-year investigation into online sextortion rackets preying on teenage boys across social media platforms.
This was disclosed in a statement published on the FBI’s website.
The FBI noted that perpetrators posed as young women online, luring victims into sharing sexually explicit images.
It added that once the perpetrators obtained the images, they used them to extort money from the victims under threat of public exposure.
“In many cases, even after payments were made, the threats continued—pushing some victims to tragic ends,” the statement added.
Speaking on the development, Special Agent Karen R., who coordinated the Bureau’s involvement, said: “This is not a victimless crime. These are real children suffering real consequences.”
