As long as you dey on top social media, e get some set of pipo wey go dey tink about smart ways to scam you.
In di past di popular one na Internet fraud (wey many sabi as yahoo yahoo) – but today, pipo dey engage in many oda types of fraud.
Dis include blackmail, identity fraud, hacking, sexual extortion among odas.
But in recent times, romance scam and sexual extortion don dey rise for some kontris for Africa, especially Nigeria and Ghana.
Only last month, meta remove 63,000 instagram accounts wey pipo dey use to attempt to directly do financial sextortion.
Dem also remove 1,300 facebook accounts, 200 pages and 5,700 groups for Nigeria, wey bin dey give tips on how to scam pipo online.
“We don remove some Facebook accounts, pages and groups wey yahoo boys don dey operate. Dis pages bin dey try to organize, recruit and train new scammers,” meta explain for dia statement.
Meta tok for one statement say “financial sextortion na crime wey dey cross borders.”
Rising cases of blackmail, sextortion for Ghana
Ghana’s cyber security authority don describe dis as di situation wia pipo use digital platforms to threaten odas wit disclosure of dia sensitive, private information.
Dis na form of revenge porn wia pipo bin dey use non-physical force to extort money from victims otherwise dey go leak dia private and nude pictures and videos online.
For di first two months of 2024, di authority bin receive 85 reports.
But from March to June, dem don receive an increase of 141 cases.
So for di first months of 2024, di cyber security authority confam say dem receive 226 reports from pipo across di kontri wia dis lead to loss of moni up to GH ¢112k ($7.2k).
Dis na cases wia dem report, for oda cases, di victims and oda pipo wey dey involved no report to di authorities.
Joyce (no be im real name) na victim of dis scam.
For February dis year, pesin wey im tink say dey outside Ghana bin dey message her for social media for weeks.
Afta dem begin to know each oda, di pesin wey tok say im dey Netherlands ask for im nude pictures and videos.
“Afta four weeks im go send me some pictures say na im nudes den im ask for mine. I remember say I don send am two times, but afta sometime, some number bin dey call me to threaten to post di pics on top social media,” Joyce tell BBC News Pidgin.
Im add say, “di man now tok say im get di pictures from di pesin wey I don dey chat wit, na so I find moni to pay di pesin once, but later dem ask for more moni.”
Joyce bin report di mata to di cyber security authority – since dat time, im no receive any more calls or messages wey don dey threaten am.
Joyce na just one of many pipo wey bin dey fall victim to scammers and dis blackmailers on top Facebook, instagram and twitter.
How di blackmailers dey get dis victims
Many of di pipo dey take use social media to find dia victims.
Di cyber security authority tok say di pipo dey use Facebook, instagram, snapchat and TikTok to do di blackmail and sextortion.
Afta dem begin from dis social media platforms, dem go later carry di conversation to WhatsApp.
From di reports wia di authority don receive, dis na di common ways dis pipo bin dey operate.
Afta dem enta your inbox for Facebook, Instagram and di oda platforms, dem go tok say dem want be your friend and afta dem move di chat to WhatsApp, dem go begin make advances.
“Wit time, dis bad guys go move di friendship to intimate relationship wia dem go lure di targets say make dem do nude video calls for WhatsApp – wey dem don dey record dis calls.”
Some also go dey “initiate video calls wey dem go capture di face of dis victims and carry that image and video to do fake nude content which dem go threaten to post if dis victims no pay some money,” di CSA bin explain.
For oda cases wia pipo report, di blackmailers bin dey send fake nude pictures to di victims – dis pictures neva be dia own.
But dem go send dis pictures to manipulate di victims to also send dia own nude pictures and videos.
Di cyber security authority say “for some of di cases, di blackmailers bin get access to di nude pictures and videos on top di phone of di victims – at di time wey dem carry di phone go for repairs.”
Afta dem get all dis images and videos, dem now begin to dem threaten dia victims say dem go post dem for social media unless dem pay moni.
For some pipo like Dzifa Makafui, im spot di signs early wen im neva make di social media conversation move to WhatsApp.
“I bin dey get plenty of such pipo wey dey enta my inbox. Dem go tok say dem wan be my friend, but I neva dey engage dem.”
Im add say “sake of I sabi wetin dis pipo fit to do, I neva make di chat move from Facebook or instagram to WhatsApp.”
Recent cases
For 8 April, Police bin charge three pipo for di alleged publication of di intimate video of popular female Ghanaian TV presenter, Serwaa Amihere.
Di three chop accuse say dem leak di video for social media.
Dem don dey face four counts wey dey related to sexual extortion and di distribution of di intimate video of Serwaa Amihere.
Some of di charges dey include conspiracy to commit crime, wey be non-consensual sharing of intimate images contrary to section 23 of di criminal offences act.
Dem also chop accuse for sexual extortion contrary to section 66 of di kontri cyber security act 2020.
Police accuse di suspects for allegedly leaking di video afta dem collect Ghc 25k ($1900) from Serwaa, di TV presenter.
Di charge sheet tok say for 2 April, 2024, di same pesin don call di presenter wit anoda number to demand additional Ghc 20k ($1500).
Di pesin tok say make she pay di moni in one minute, odawise dem go leak di video.
But afta dem receive di moni, dem still allegedly leak di video for social media, according to di charge sheet.
For June 2022, di court jail one phone repairer 14 years afta im leak naked photos of one Lebanese woman for social media.
Solomon Doga don plead guilty to charges of “sexual extortion and non-consensual sharing of intimate images” of di woman wey bin dey stay for Ghana at di time.
According to state prosecutor for dat case, di woman bin contact am to unlock im phone wia im use di chance to take im nude pictures and videos wey dey on top di woman phone.
Na so im begin to threaten and blackmail her for moni.
Wetin Ghana law tok about blackmail and sexual extortion
Sharing nudes and child grooming na crime inside di 2020 Ghana cyber security Act wey dem pass for 2020.
“Na offense to threaten anoda pesin say you go share im nude photo or video unless di pesin give you moni or unless di pesin sleep wit you”.
Based on dis law for di cyber security act 2020, any pesin wey engage in publishing pictures of children or adults go fit face 5, 10 or 25 years in jail.
De law also dey address child grooming for sexual abuse
Pesin wey dey involved for sexual abuse or aiding and abetting or cyber stalking a child go fit land pesin between 5 to 15 years jail term.
Pesin wey go share naked images online or on social media platforms go face fine of between $5,200 den $10,000.
Threatening to circulate nude images for cash
In addition to dis, di law make am clear say any pesin wey go also threaten to send someone nude pics go also face di law.
According to di cybersecurity laws, threat to circulate nude photos or videos in exchange for cash, dey attract 10 to 25 years in jail.
Willful sharing of nudes
According to Section 278 of the criminal code, pesin wey go publicly and wilfully publish dia own nudes, commit grossly indecent act wey be misdemeanour.
For Nigeria, blackmail na criminal offence wey don dey attract punishment under di kontri criminal code.
Under dis code, any pesin wey dey guilty of dis kind blackmail go face jail term of up 14 years.
For di Nigerian cybercrime (prohibition, prevention etc) act of 2015, blackmail thru electronic means dey separate and dey attract more serious penalties.
Tips to avoid falling victim
Sabi pipo bin dey recommend some tip wey pipo gat to note so dey no go become victim of sextortion.
For di cyber security authority for Ghana like dis, dey bin give some tips wey go make pesin sabi say dis tin na scam or blackmail.
1. Avoid to dey accept online friend requests from unknown pipo (especially those wey gat questionable profile information)
2. Dey careful of such social media friendships wey di pipo go tok say make una carry di relationship enta WhatsApp
3. No capture and dey store your nude pictures and videos for your phone
4. Beware of video calls from unknown pipo on top social media platforms
5. No share nude pictures and videos via social media platforms (weda inside private inbox or not)
6. Dey careful of unsolicited messages or offers especially di ones wey don dey promise business opportunities or money
