The FBI has arrested 22 Nigerian individuals allegedly behind a widespread sextortion scheme that has been linked to over 20 teen suicides across the United States since 2021, the agency revealed in a statement on Thursday, April 24.

The arrests were part of a groundbreaking global operation, dubbed Operation Artemis, which saw coordination between law enforcement agencies in Canada, Australia, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom. The FBI initiated the operation nearly two years ago in response to a surge in reports from teen boys coerced into sharing explicit images online, only to be blackmailed with threats of exposure unless they paid.

According to the FBI, the arrests of the 22 Nigerian suspects were a result of extensive investigations and marked a significant breakthrough in a case that has affected countless young lives. The agency highlighted that at least one of the arrests was linked to the tragic suicide of an American teen who took his life after being targeted by these sextortionists.

The FBI and its international partners interviewed suspects at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) offices in Lagos, Nigeria, to delve deeper into the operation.

The sextortion scheme typically targets minors—usually young boys—who are tricked into thinking they are interacting with young women online. After convincing the victims to send explicit photos, the perpetrators demand money to keep the images private. In many cases, even after victims comply, the threats escalate, with demands for even more money.

“Even after paying, victims continue to be harassed, with demands becoming more threatening,” the FBI said. “Analysis of victims' phones and social media accounts revealed heartbreaking stories of children in constant panic, desperately trying to negotiate to keep their secrets safe.”

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported over 34,000 sextortion victims in 2023, a number that surged to more than 54,000 in 2024. Financial losses from these crimes have reached nearly $65 million in the past two years alone.

Between October 2021 and March 2023, more than 12,600 minors, mostly boys, were targeted in sextortion schemes, according to the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The NCMEC also reported a significant rise in sextortion cases, with 26,718 financial sextortion incidents reported in 2023, up from 10,731 the previous year.

Australia, too, has seen a sharp increase, with the Australian Federal Police documenting around 300 new cases of sextortion every month.

In an effort to understand the motivations behind these crimes, FBI Special Agent Matthew Crowley spoke with several suspects in Nigeria. One suspect admitted that sextortion was “easy money” and that, even if they failed with one victim, they could quickly move on to another. Crowley further explained that some perpetrators could target up to 40 victims a day, with just a few paying up. “Even if three people paid $200 each, that's $600,” Crowley noted.

The devastating toll of these schemes was poignantly illustrated by the story of a grieving American father. His 16-year-old son took his own life in 2023 after falling victim to sextortion threats. “Everything he loved—his college ambitions, his friends, everything—was threatened,” the father shared. “It’s like someone walking into your home and shooting your son. This person did something worse. He scared him so much that he shot himself.”

As Operation Artemis continues to unravel the global network behind these heinous crimes, authorities are hopeful that the arrests will send a strong message to those involved in sextortion, and provide some closure for the families affected by these tragic events.


(Wafric News)