Facebook’s parent company, Meta, has announced it has taken legal action against two Nigerians for their alleged roles in financial scams targeting Facebook and Instagram users.

According to the social media giant, between March 2020 and October 2021, the two Nigerians – Arafat Eniola Arowokoko and Arowokoko Afeez Opeyemi – lured Facebook and Instagram users to phishing websites to harvest credentials and compromise their financial services accounts, Nigeria Abroad reports. 

To make ensure they could perform the illegal activities unhindered, the individuals employed a network of more than 800 fake Facebook and Instagram accounts, it was learnt. 

Meta says it has already taken several enforcement actions against the two individuals, by disabling accounts they used on Facebook and Instagram, blocking the phishing domains on its platforms, and sending them cease and desist letters.

Now, the company and financial services provider Chime Financial – one of the firms that Arowokoko and Opeyemi impersonated as part of their schemes – filed a joint lawsuit against the two, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

The companies allege violations of the social platform’s Terms and Policies and brand infringement, and seek to permanently ban the defendants from Facebook and Instagram, while also claiming millions of dollars in statutory damages.

“Online impersonation is prohibited across Meta technologies, and we’ll continue to take action to protect the people who use our technologies. Cross-industry collaboration is critical to disrupting this abuse and to Meta’s broader efforts to combat online impersonation,” Meta says.