Meta Shuts Seven Million WhatsApp Accounts Linked To Scammers

On Tuesday, August 5, Meta announced that it terminated nearly seven million WhatsApp accounts associated with scammers in the first six months of this year and is enhancing protections against such fraudulent activities.

“Our team identified the accounts and disabled them before the criminal organisations that created them could use them,” said Clair Deevy, WhatsApp’s external affairs director.

Frequently operated by organized criminal groups, these scams include fraudulent cryptocurrency investments and quick-profit pyramid schemes, according to WhatsApp executives during a briefing.

“There is always a catch, and it should be a red flag for everyone: you have to pay upfront to get promised returns or earnings,” Meta-owned WhatsApp stated in a blog post.

WhatsApp identified and blocked over 6.8 million accounts connected to scam operations, primarily located in Southeast Asia, as reported by Meta.

In collaboration with OpenAI, WhatsApp and Meta disrupted a scam originating in Cambodia that utilized ChatGPT to create text messages with a link to a WhatsApp chat designed to lure victims, according to the tech companies.

Meta started warning WhatsApp users to exercise caution when added to unfamiliar group chats by unknown individuals.

New “safety overviews” offer details about the group, advice on identifying scams, and the option to quickly leave the chat.

“We’ve all been there: someone you don’t know attempting to message you, or add you to a group chat, promising low-risk investment opportunities or easy money, or saying you have an unpaid bill that’s overdue,” Meta stated in a blog post.

“The reality is, these are often scammers trying to prey on people’s kindness, trust and willingness to help – or, their fears that they could be in trouble if they don’t send money fast.”

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli