The Brazen World of Yahoo Boys: Scammers Operating in Plain Sight
In the murky depths of the internet, most scammers and cybercriminals prefer to operate under a cloak of anonymity. However, the “Yahoo Boys” are a notable exception. These West African scammer groups brazenly flaunt their activities on social media platforms, using terms like ”Yahoo Boys” in their group names and account handles.
A Vast Network of Scammers
WIRED’s investigation uncovered a staggering number of Yahoo Boys accounts across various platforms, including:
- 16 Facebook groups with nearly 200,000 total members
- A dozen WhatsApp channels
- Around 10 Telegram channels
- 20 TikTok accounts
- A dozen YouTube accounts
- More than 80 scripts on Scribd
Despite the removal of many accounts and groups after WIRED contacted the respective companies, dozens more remain active online.
Tactics and Techniques
Kathy Waters, cofounder and executive director of the nonprofit Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams (SCARS), explains that the Yahoo Boys are the modern iteration of the infamous Nigerian Prince email scams. These groups, often organized into confraternities, employ various tactics to lure their victims, such as:
- “Bombing” potential victims with hundreds of messages on dating apps and Facebook profiles
- Using pre-written ”scripts” to socially manipulate people, some of which are thousands of words long and can be copied and pasted to different victims
- Pretending to be military officers, people offering “hookups,” the FBI, doctors, and people looking for love
They will say anything they can in order to get the next dime in their pocket.
Social Media Platforms’ Response
While social media companies generally prohibit content that encourages or promotes criminal behavior, the Yahoo Boys have managed to maintain a significant presence on these platforms. After being alerted by WIRED, many of the identified groups and accounts were removed. However, the companies did not directly address why these accounts were so easily discoverable or how they plan to prevent similar groups from emerging in the future.
The Sextortion Threat
Paul Raffile, an intelligence analyst at the Network Contagion Research Institute, notes that the Yahoo Boys have been behind a recent wave of sextortion across the United States and elsewhere. The scammers have been able to thrive online due to a lack of moderation around the illicit material they share, acting with impunity because they believe they will never be caught.
Adopting New Technologies
David Maimon, a professor at Georgia State University and the head of fraud insights at the identity-verification firm SentiLink, has observed that the Yahoo Boys are quick to adopt new technologies, such as deepfakes and AI-generated images, to enhance their scams.
A Call for Action
Experts agree that the Yahoo Boys should be treated more seriously by social media companies and law enforcement, with some calling for them to be labeled as a dangerous transnational organized crime group. As these scammers continue to evolve and adapt, it is crucial that steps are taken to combat their activities and protect potential victims.
3 Comments
Well, it’s a free-for-all in scammer world, apparently!
Honestly, it’s like they’re playing a game where the only rule is there are no rules!
Scammers these days have the audacity of a cat walking into a dog convention uninvited!