FBI Sends Team to Nigeria to Track Down ‘Sextortion’ Scammers

Sextortion scams have become so widespread that the FBI is sending agents to Nigeria to help track down the perpetrators.

The agency’s “Operation Artemis” has led to the arrest of 22 Nigerians, half of whom are “directly linked” to sextortion incidents in which victims died by suicide.

Sextortion scams often begin on social media, where perpetrators pose as attractive young women to lure victims—typically unsuspecting teenage boys—into sending nude photos or explicit videos. Once the images are obtained, the scammers turn to blackmail, threatening to leak the content unless the victim pays up.

In some cases, the sextortion results in teenage victims taking their own lives over fear of the nudes leaking. In Thursday’s announcement, the FBI noted it’s been “observing a significant increase over the last three years in financially motivated sextortion schemes targeting young males ages 14-17, resulting in more than 20 minor victims dying by suicide.”

The agency is also facing a 30% year-over-year increase in sextortion-related tips. “According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center or IC3, there were over 54,000 [extortion-related] victims in 2024, up from 34,000 in 2023,” it says. “Over the last two years there have been nearly $65 million dollars in financial losses due to this crime.”

In response, the FBI says 55 agency field offices came together to identify “nearly 3,000 victims of financially motivated sextortion,” which led investigators to track down the culprits in Nigeria. The US has since extradited at least three suspects from Nigeria.

“These subjects will now be held accountable in the American justice system, with more subjects still awaiting extraditions in Nigeria,” the FBI adds. 

The operation is a reminder to be careful with random strangers online. The FBI created a dedicated site to help victims. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has also developed a free service to help minors take down any nude photos or videos of themselves circulating on the internet.

About Michael Kan

Senior Reporter

I’ve been working as a journalist for over 15 years—I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017.

Read Michael’s full bio

Read the latest from Michael Kan