New Delhi: WhatsApp and Meta’s Security Team has banned over 6.8 million accounts linked to scam centers in the initial six months this year, as part of its efforts to protect people from scams, and increased attempts by criminal scam centers, often fueled by forced labor and operated by organised crime, primarily in South East Asia The platform, which has often come under scrutiny for misuse, is stepping up its safety game with a new feature aimed at protecting users from online scams.
Bans 6.8 Million Scam-Linked Accounts, Crackdown on Criminal Scam Centers
WhatsApp revealed that it has been actively dismantling networks of criminal scam operations, many of which are tied to organised crime groups operating out of Southeast Asia and are reportedly fuelled by forced labour. According to the platform, over 6.8 million accounts linked to such scam centres were banned in the first half of this year alone. In a joint effort with Meta and OpenAI, WhatsApp said it acted proactively, disabling accounts before they could fully deploy their fraudulent schemes. One recent disruption involved a criminal scam ring in Cambodia, where perpetrators were allegedly involved in a range of deceptive schemes from offering fake payments for social media engagement to promoting cryptocurrency investment traps and pyramid models like rent-a-scooter scams. OpenAI’s investigation highlighted how scammers exploited ChatGPT to craft initial outreach messages. These messages, often including links to WhatsApp chats, would quickly redirect victims to Telegram, where they were asked to engage in tasks like “liking” videos on TikTok. To gain the victim’s trust, scammers simulated earnings, eventually prompting them to deposit real money into cryptocurrency accounts under the guise of completing further tasks.
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New Safety Feature Alerts Users to Unfamiliar Group Invites
In its latest move to bolster user protection, WhatsApp has introduced a “safety overview” feature designed to alert users when they are added to a new group by someone outside their contact list. The new tool offers a preview of group details and safety guidance, allowing users to assess whether the group is familiar or suspicious. WhatsApp said in a statement that notifications from such groups will remain muted until a user opts to remain in the conversation. Meta, which owns the messaging platform, added that it is also exploring features to flag potentially unknown senders by providing users with additional context before they engage in new conversations, a step aimed at empowering people to make better-informed decisions online.