Scammers Use Fake News Videos to Blackmail Victims

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Cybercriminals, known as "Yahoo Boys," are increasingly deploying deceptive tactics to blackmail victims, including the creation of fake news videos purporting to be from reputable news organizations. According to a report by WIRED, these scammers, predominantly operating from West Africa, notably Nigeria, utilize artificial intelligence to generate realistic presentations mimicking outlets like CNN.

Victims are often targeted after compromising information is obtained, often through online romance schemes. The fabricated videos can depict the victims as having committed severe offenses, causing panic and distress that frequently leads to compliance with the scammers' demands for payment. David Maimon, a fraud expert, emphasized that this evolving method aims to humiliate and intimidate victims into sending money by maintaining a sense of urgency.

Platforms like Telegram serve as hubs for this criminal activity, enabling scammers to share tutorials on crafting these malicious videos. Despite Telegram's policies against such content, the persistence of these channels indicates ongoing challenges in combatting online fraud.

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