The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has disclosed that the United States lost nearly $65 million over the past two years due to financially motivated sextortion crimes allegedly perpetrated by Nigerian nationals.
This was revealed in a statement on April 24, as the FBI announced that resources and personnel have already been deployed to Nigeria to address the increasing rate of sextortion-related suicides linked to Nigerian perpetrators.
According to the agency, 22 suspects have been arrested in Nigeria.
“The FBI conducted a first-of-its-kind global operation to address the dangerous rise in American suicides attributed to this crime.
“In coordination with multiple law enforcement partners, the FBI conducted Operation Artemis—a surge of resources and personnel to Nigeria to address the high rate of sextortion-related suicides attributed to Nigerian perpetrators.
“ As a result of Operation Artemis, FBI investigations led to the arrests of 22 Nigerian subjects connected to financially motivated sextortion schemes.”
“ Over the last two years, there have been nearly $65 million dollars in financial losses due to this crime,” the FBI stated.
The FBI revealed that, of the 22 suspects, approximately half were allegedly directly linked to victims who took their own lives.
FBI Director Kash Patel stated that the operation marked a significant step in the fight against child exploitation and aimed to bring justice and accountability to international perpetrators hiding behind screens.
“Operation Artemis exemplifies the FBI’s never-ending mission to protect our most vulnerable, and to pursue the heinous criminals harming our children—no matter where they hide,” the official stated.
How the Crime Happened
- According to the FBI, the suspects arrested in the operation engaged in sophisticated, financially motivated sextortion schemes by contacting victims via social media platforms and posing as peers or potential romantic interests.
“Once trust or rapport was established, often through conversation in chatrooms or direct messages, the suspects 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,” it added.
- The agency stressed that, regardless of whether payment was received, the perpetrators would often continue to manipulate their victims, leaving them feeling ashamed, isolated, and responsible.
More Insights
According to the statement, the FBI and partners from Canada, Australia, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom conducted a first-of-its-kind operation in Nigeria that resulted in the arrest of 22 Nigerian suspects.
This announcement came as the FBI reported a 30% increase in sextortion-related tips received at its National Threat Operations Center from October 2024 to March 2025, compared to the previous year.
According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), there were over 54,000 victims in 2024, up from 34,000 in 2023.
- The FBI noted a significant rise over the last three years in financially motivated sextortion schemes targeting young males aged 14–17, resulting in more than 20 minor victims dying by suicide.
- As a result, investigations were launched nationwide to provide answers and closure to grieving American families.
“It was during these investigative steps that the commonality of perpetrators residing in Nigeria began to grow and paint a larger, more international scope of this crime,” the statement added.
- A Nigerian man was extradited to the U.S. in January and charged with causing the death of a South Carolina teenager, while two others were extradited from Nigeria last year to face charges related to the sextortion and death of a young man in Pennsylvania.
- The FBI maintained that the suspects will now be held accountable in the American justice system, with more individuals still awaiting extradition in Nigeria.
- The agency also encouraged parents to have ongoing conversations with their children and teenagers about online safety.
- Finally, it emphasized that an indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
