``Sextortion,'' which uses sexual images to threaten people on TikTok and Instagram, is being carried out mainly by the West African criminal group ``Yahoo Boys.''

It has been revealed that an organized crime in which young people under the age of 20 are forced to send sexual images is being carried out in West Africa as a way to get rich quickly. It has also become clear that targets are being chosen on sites such as TikTok and Instagram, where young people gather, highlighting the negative impact social media has on young people.

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According to a study by the research group Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI), cybercrime known as 'Financial Sextortion' has increased rapidly in North America and Australia in recent years, and most of the crimes are in West Africa, where people calling themselves 'Yahoo Boys' The attack is said to be caused by an organized cybercrime group.

Sextortion is a crime in which someone threatens to 'distribute sexual images.' Once criminals have somehow obtained sexual images of their targets, they threaten to spread the images online and demand payment.

Yahoo Boys is carrying out such crimes in an organized manner. Among the known tactics used by this organization: According to past court cases, a Nigerian man created fake Facebook and Snapchat accounts to pose as an attractive young woman and engage in relationships with young men. After building and obtaining sexual images, he allegedly turned to blackmail. The Nigerian man allegedly demanded money in virtual currency or gift cards, and continued to threaten the victim even after the victim paid.

According to a study conducted in 2023, Yahoo Boys has become popular in West Africa as a ``get-rich-quick way'' where there are few other ways to earn an income. , there is even a fact that a how-to guide on sextortion has been spread.

This group also distributes sextortion instructional how-to guides and scripts on TikTok, YouTube, and Scribd, enabling and encouraging other criminals to engage in financial sextortion.

They refer to their victims as 'clients.' This is a profitable business.

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— Alex Goldenberg (@AlexWGoldenberg) January 27, 2024

It was confirmed that hashtags like '#YahooBoys' are rampant on TikTok and YouTube, and videos showing people engaging in sextortion or teaching how to blackmail victims are being posted. I was there. Specifically, there were ``methods to capture the target'' and ``how to act like a real girl,'' and even templates for seductive and explicit invitations.

Also, a method of creating human-like profiles using AI was confirmed.

We also saw generative AI software being use to conduct a growing number of these crimes. The criminals can use easily accessible software to generate nude photos + create convincing catfish profiles. pic.twitter.com/DVJZV8bs2K

— Alex Goldenberg (@AlexWGoldenberg) January 27, 2024

TikTok, YouTube, Scribd, Meta, and other sites where Yahoo Boys' activities have been confirmed are supposed to ban content that promotes criminal activities. However, this investigation highlights the failure of companies to prevent the activities of Yahoo Boys and other criminals, and NCRI's Director of Information Alex Goldenberg said, The activity should be found and removed.'

Snapchat introduced the ability to report 'sextortion' in 2023, but other social media have not followed suit. Mr. Goldenberg points out that ``there should be clear categories for reporting sextortion,'' adding that the state in which followers and follow lists on social media can be viewed by anyone means ``it is difficult to know who the victim knows.'' He emphasized that services should make it more difficult to access information about users, as it could be used as a means of blackmail.