A former United States prosecutor has revealed how she travelled to Nigeria to track down an alleged internet fraudster accused of targeting teenagers in a global sex extortion scheme, saying the suspect remains at large despite evidence being handed to Nigerian authorities.
The Investigation Journey
Erin West, who previously prosecuted cybercrime cases in the United States, shared details of the investigation in a video posted online. She said the mission focused on tracing people behind online sex extortion scams, where victims are deceived into sending explicit images before being blackmailed for money. The former prosecutor said her team was able to identify one suspect after analysing a phone number linked to the alleged crimes.
According to her, a professor helped connect the number to bank accounts and other records that eventually revealed the suspect's identity, contact details and location in Nigeria. West said her team travelled to Nigeria determined to locate the alleged scammer before returning to the United States.
Confronting the Suspect
"We came all the way to Nigeria to find the people who blackmail teenagers," she said. "A name finally became a place on a map. It was our last 12 hours, and we were determined to track down the scammer." She disclosed that investigators visited the suspect's residence but found nobody at home. The team later reached him through a video call, during which she confronted him over allegations that he posed as a teenage girl online to deceive and extort a teenage victim.
"You were pretending to be a teenage girl. You got him to send explicit images, and then you blackmailed him," she told the suspect. West said she introduced herself during the call and informed the suspect that investigators had gathered extensive information about him. "I met with the EFCC. I met with the Ministry of Justice. I know where you live, who you associate with, your phone numbers and your locations," she said.
Scope of the Problem
She accused the suspect of taking part in crimes linked to the deaths of young people through sex extortion. "The work you are doing is killing teenage boys. We know of at least 60 suicides linked to these crimes," she said. Despite gathering evidence, West said no arrests had been made after the information was submitted to Nigerian authorities. "We turned over all the information we gathered to the authorities, but unfortunately, there have been no arrests yet. We believe our scammer is still out there, contributing to the scam economy," she said.
Systemic Challenges and Call for Action
She argued that arresting one suspect would not dismantle the wider criminal network, describing sex extortion as an international problem driven by technology platforms and digital payment systems. "So what do we do with all of this? I just told a scammer in no uncertain terms that he was going to jail. And maybe he will. But arresting one man in one town doesn't stop a machine this size," she said. West also called on technology companies to improve safeguards on their platforms, saying stronger preventive measures would do more to stop online sex extortion before young people become victims.
