By Jen Mills
Olamide Shanu, 33, a Nigerian man arrested in Surrey late last year, is accused of orchestrating an international blackmail scam in which he allegedly extorted up to £2 million from teenage boys over a three-year period. The scam, dubbed sextortion, involved Shanu posing as a female on social media platforms, including Instagram and Snapchat, to deceive young victims into sending explicit images and videos of themselves.
Shanu then threatened to release the compromising material unless the victims paid him money, often in cryptocurrency. Authorities claim his cryptocurrency account received over 6,000 payments, suggesting he targeted hundreds of teenagers worldwide. One victim reportedly paid £240 a week, ultimately handing over almost £8,000.
The US Secret Service, which has been investigating the case, alleges that Shanu worked with conspirators who stole online accounts and used fake images to lure victims. Two American boys were reportedly extorted by a user claiming to be a girl named “Chloe” on Snapchat, where they were convinced to pay via Bitcoin into an account registered with Shanu’s passport details as ID.
Shanu now faces extradition to the United States, where he faces charges of conspiracy to cyberstalk, interstate communications with intent to commit extortion, and money laundering. He will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court in London on May 28 for proceedings related to the extradition request.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has highlighted the serious toll such scams can take on young victims, with the number of reported cases skyrocketing. Since 2022, at least three children in the UK have tragically taken their own lives as a result of sextortion scams. The NCA has issued an urgent alert to schools across the UK, particularly warning about the devastating effects these crimes have on teenage boys aged 14 to 18.
