A TikTok video features a young man showcasing a pile of $100 bills. Another appears with designer clothing, while a third man dances, flaunting a heavy gold chain. They brag to their devoted followers about their journey to wealth.

One caption in the video reads, “BM got me a new car,” and another boasts, “$5,000 in just a few hours.”

Unlike traditional influencers focused on travel, brands, or culinary delights, their appeal hinges on criminal activities. All individuals in question are based in Nigeria, and their fraudulent schemes target social media users, predominantly in the US and other Western nations, manipulating romantic interests and victimizing individuals by spreading explicit images.

The intimidation escalates with the distribution of the victims’ images alongside demands for money.

The self-proclaimed con artist identifies as “BM Boys,” where “BM” refers to a chilling term for predatory schemes. Hundreds of young men from West Africa are involved in these operations. Their videos, flaunting lavish lifestyles, have attracted hundreds, if not thousands, of followers on TikTok, garnering admiration and igniting ambitions among other young men eager to join the scams.

“Please tell me the boss [the] one!” a follower commented on a popular BM boys TikTok. “[In] Please give me the name of God. Share your job details.”

Some BM Boys accounts have amassed hundreds of thousands of followers. The Guardian has identified 22 TikTok accounts run by these self-proclaimed BM Boys and interviewed a 24-year-old Nigerian man who has been actively involved for eight years, claiming to have raised nearly $100,000 from victims during that time.

“For me, it’s straightforward,” said one scammer who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss illegal activities. “We’re always on our phones—if you’re not working, you won’t eat.”

Finding Victims on Instagram and Flexing on TikTok

One of the primary targets for BM Boys is teenage boys in the United States and beyond. According to a 2023 report by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), financial sextortion cases involving minors rose sharply, totaling 26,718 from just 10,731 in 2022. Since 2021, at least 46 American teens have died by suicide after being victims of these scams.

In 2024, Meta announced that it had deleted 63,000 Instagram accounts reportedly linked to sextortion schemes from Nigeria. Despite this crackdown, Instagram remains a platform where perpetrators can identify and engage potential targets, as noted by human trafficking experts. Meanwhile, TikTok serves as a showcase for BM Boys, allowing them to flaunt their success and recruit newcomers.

“Others are eager to join these scams because they see the profits. They flaunt money, luxurious clubs, and travels,” says Paul Rafil, an expert in online exploitation. “They exploit these platforms and their influencer status to generate income.”

These individuals lead enviable lifestyles, often employing experienced figures known as “bosses” who manage new scammers termed “talks.” Rafil explains that these bosses take a cut of the profits.

“These ‘talks’ are tasked with creating fake social media profiles, engaging potential victims online,” Rafil elaborated. “But when it comes to transferring money through cash apps, Bitcoin wallets, and other financial methods, the bosses take the reins.”

A TikTok spokesperson stated, “We designed TikTok for creativity and do not tolerate any content or behavior that promotes sextortion, as it is harmful to teens.”

Tips and Tricks for Blackmailing

A critical aspect of their scheme involves building trust by creating a façade that their interactions are with attractive women in the same locale as their targets. Many BM Boys post “BM Updates” on TikTok, providing tips and education to followers on improving their sextortion techniques.

“Millions aspire to get into this. If you don’t learn it, you won’t succeed,” remarked one scammer who regularly shares BM updates and has a growing follower base.

BM updates include copying scripts, sharing pictures of girls to impersonate, tutorials on hacking social media accounts, and advice on utilizing Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to avoid detection. They also provide scripts for creating menacing audio messages to coerce victims into compliance and guidance on where to find potential targets, including dating sites.

To connect with victims, offenders often use tactics termed “bombing,” where they infiltrate various online communities, including those related to schools, sports teams, and popular culture. They frequently discuss country music stars, Hollywood celebrities, or fans of popular shows, sharing insights on how to target such demographics.

“They do this for two reasons: to scam those who accept their follow requests and to make their fake accounts seem more legitimate when mutual friends exist,” Rafil noted. “Often they’ll say, ‘Oh, I discovered you through mutual suggestions on Instagram.’

To bolster their credibility as Americans, BM Boys avidly consume American news, sports, and pop culture content, according to a scary mailer.

Through thousands of attempts, these scripts and strategies have evolved into high-pressure systems designed to lure victims into compromising situations. They usually initiate image exchanges by sending stolen nude photos from sites where sex workers create content, Rafil mentioned.

Perpetrators then demand between $500 and $3,000, threatening to share explicit images with the victim’s social media connections. They employ fear tactics by editing victims’ photos into fake newspaper headlines or broadcast news images.

“Sometimes I call them to let them know who they’re dealing with. When the victim sees his photos on TV or in the news, they’ll think, ‘Oh, I can’t block this person,’” he claimed. “They’ll see it featured in trashy news broadcasts,” he mentioned.

No Remorse, Only Money

It’s no accident that threatening individuals flaunt their exploits on TikTok. One con artist expressed skepticism about reports indicating that numerous US teens have died by suicide following sextortion targeting.

“I don’t feel guilty; that’s not the sole reason for their suicides. I’m not sure if BM is responsible for these tragedies,” said the scammer. “If someone tells me they’re considering suicide, I assume they’re joking.”

He recounted how he was orphaned as a child when his mother died during childbirth, leading him to view sexual exploitation as merely a job despite its emotional toll.

“When I take a photo, I feel nothing for the victim. I must survive as a living being,” he remarked.

This lack of remorse shown by BM Boys has caused immense trauma for families, such as John Demay’s. In 2022, her son Jordan took his life at 17 after being targeted by three Nigerian men on Instagram who impersonated teenage girls. Two of them, Samuel Ogosi and his younger brother Samson Ogosi, have since been extradited to the US and are now serving a 17-year, six-month prison sentence.

During sentencing, the judge described the brothers as exhibiting “a blatant disregard for life,” noting that they continued their sextortion scheme even after learning of Jordan’s suicide.

“They continued their activities using the same script and attitude, fully aware that Jordan had ended his life as a consequence of their actions,” Demay stated.

Experts emphasize that the balance between privacy and safety on social media for children must differ from that of adults, urging platforms to strengthen protections for minors.

“You’re working with youth who may act impulsively. They might not respond adequately to warnings. Given their vulnerability, proactive measures are crucial,” they recommend.

Meta has implemented various changes recently to safeguard younger users. In a statement, the company mentions alerting teens when they interact with users from different countries, and blurring explicit images sent from minor accounts.

A Meta spokesperson commented, “Sextortion is a heinous crime. We have the ability to dismantle networks of fraudsters, share information with other companies, and support law enforcement in prosecuting these offenders.”

Since September, Instagram has established default privacy settings for accounts, making it harder for unauthorized individuals to view follower lists. However, when a teen accepts a friendship request, their follower list remains accessible. Enhancing privacy further, such as restricting follower lists from even approved followers, could better protect teens from being targeted by sextortionists, Rafil pointed out. “It shouldn’t be as easy as flipping through a directory to find a teenage boy or girl.”

Demay expressed that social media companies “have the ability to implement necessary safeguards within their platforms but have chosen not to do so.”