The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says it has arrested 22 cyber fraudsters who sexually blackmailed and extorted US minors.
The law enforcement agency said the arrests were made as part of “Operation Artemis,” an international operation launched in 2023 to fight the growing threat of sextortion among Nigerian-based sextortion rings.
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The agency said that it, in coordination with multiple law enforcement partners, “conducted Operation Artemis—a surge of resources and personnel to Nigeria to address the high rate of sextortion related suicides attributed to Nigerian perpetrators.”
In a statement shared on its website on Thursday, the FBI said this operation was necessitated by the growing rate of sextortion related suicide among America’s teenage population connected to Nigerian fraudsters.
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The investigation, which was carried out in collaboration with other law enforcement bodies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Nigeria, led to the arrests of the suspects connected to the sextortion schemes.
PREMIUM TIMES reports that the FBI routinely partners with the EFCC in Nigeria to arrest internet fraudsters that operate from the West African country but target Americans.
About half of the 22 suspects in the latest arrest were directly linked to victims who took their own lives, the FBI said.
The victims of this crime are mostly minors between age 14-17 who are often tricked into sending intimate images and then blackmailed.
In many cases, the scammers, operating from Nigeria, pretend to be in a similar age range online to target mostly minors in the US. Over time, they establish trust through consistent interaction and potential romantic interest.
The FBI said once a trust was established, the fraudsters coerced their victims into taking and sharing compromising images of themselves.
“Offenders then threatened to release the compromising photos unless they received immediate payment, typically requested via gift cards, mobile payment services, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency.
“Regardless of a payment being received or not, the perpetrators would often continue to manipulate their victims, leaving them feeling ashamed, isolated, and responsible,” it stated.
Increase in sextortion
The agency said it began observing the sextortion of minors by fraudsters based in Nigeria when it started the operation.
It reported 34,000 cases in 2023, and in 2024, more than 54,000 teenagers fell victim to this crime.
It further noted that nearly $65 million in financial losses have been incurred due to this crime in the last three years.
Between October 2024 through March 2025, the agency also said its National Threat Operations Centre saw a 30 per cent increase in reports of sextortion‐related incidents compared to the same six-month span a year earlier.
ALSO READ: EFCC hands over $22,000 recovered from convicted internet fraudster to FBI
The FBI Director, Kash Patel, indicated that the recently concluded operation showed that the agency was determined to “pursue the heinous criminals harming children no matter where they hide.”
“The critical need for international cooperation to address this growing threat, and it’s a fight we can’t take on without our valued partners across the globe.
“This operation marks a significant step in the fight against child exploitation and brings justice and accountability to international perpetrators hiding anonymously behind screens.”
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