A small qualitative study from southwestern Nigeria offers a detailed, but limited, look at how drug use and internet fraud can intersect among some young adults.
The 2026 study involved 22 single adults aged 19 to 47 who were receiving treatment for a substance use disorder. Across four focus groups, participants described situations in which drugs helped people feel more confident, stay awake or cope while carrying out internet fraud. They also said money from fraud could be used to buy more drugs.
But the accounts did not suggest that the two behaviors always occur together. Participants said some people committed fraud without using drugs, while others used drugs without taking part in fraud. The researchers described the relationship as ranging from a direct functional link to complete independence.
How participants described the overlap
The fraud discussed in the study was known locally as “Yahoo Yahoo” and included online scams such as romance and advance-fee schemes. Participants named cannabis, tramadol, codeine, alcohol and a synthetic cannabinoid sold as “Colorado” among the substances used.
They described several overlapping reasons for drug use: recreational use, emotional coping and a desire to maintain performance during fraud. Some accounts suggested that drug use was viewed as a way to manage pressure or distress associated with fraudulent activity. The researchers presented possible self-medication for distress as a suggestion, not as a tested conclusion.
Participants also linked both behaviors to social and economic pressures. These included peer influence, the desire to belong to a group, visible displays of wealth, unemployment and expectations to provide for family members. Some described particular pressure on men, especially first sons, to support their families. Women were described as more often involved indirectly through romantic partners or friends.
Money, social approval and emotional costs
Participants described mixed responses from families and communities. Some families were said to tolerate, support or remain silent about fraud once money began arriving. The discussions identified three broad family-response patterns: unknowing enablement, active complicity and spiritual fortification through traditional healers.
Church responses were also described as mixed. Some participants said churches rejected people involved in fraud, while others said churches welcomed their donations. Participants further noted that social-media displays of fraud-related wealth could make the behavior appealing beyond close friendship groups.
Financial gains did not necessarily resolve emotional or relationship difficulties. Participants reported guilt, depression, anxiety, aggression, anger, sleep problems and difficulty forming trusting relationships among people involved in fraud. These were participant accounts, not clinical measurements of every person’s mental health.
What the study can and cannot show
Researchers analyzed the discussions thematically. They independently coded the first two transcripts, agreed on a framework and applied it to all transcripts, identifying eight themes.
However, the study cannot establish how common these patterns are or prove that drug use causes fraud, or that fraud causes drug use. All participants were already receiving addiction treatment at one hospital in one region, so their experiences may differ from those of young people in the wider community. Many participants knew about fraud through friends rather than direct involvement, and some accounts may therefore have been second-hand.
The group setting and the sensitivity of discussing illegal activity may also have influenced what participants disclosed. The source reports minor inconsistencies between the paper’s participant table and its text regarding age range and the gender split.
For broader context, a 2024 meta-analysis of 22 studies involving 43,145 people across West Africa estimated pooled prevalence rates of 44% for alcohol, 30% for tramadol, 11% for codeine and 6% for cannabis. Those regional estimates do not show how frequently drug use and internet fraud overlap, and they cannot be directly treated as estimates for this study group.
Possible prevention approaches
Participants suggested employment and skills training, parenting programs, recreational and vocational activities, mental-health support, mentorship and faith-based or moral guidance as possible prevention approaches. The researchers also recommended that addiction assessments ask about peer networks, financial pressures, trauma and cultural influences.
They argued that treatment discussions should consider guilt and moral conflict alongside drug use. These proposals came from interviews and have not been tested in trials, so their effectiveness remains unknown.
The study’s central message is therefore cautious: drug use and internet fraud may reinforce one another for some people through money, social pressure and coping, but neither behavior can be assumed to explain the other in every case.
AI tools were used to assist with the preparation of this article under our editorial standards.
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