Meta has reported that it disabled nearly seven million WhatsApp accounts connected to scammers during the first six months of this year, and is increasing its efforts to combat such fraudulent activities, reports RTE.
“Our team identified the accounts and disabled them before the criminal organisations that created them could use them,” WhatsApp external affairs director Clair Deevy said.
These scams, often orchestrated by organized criminal groups, include fake crypto investment opportunities and various pyramid schemes, WhatsApp executives shared during a media briefing, reports RTE.
“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 said in a blog post.
According to Meta, WhatsApp detected and removed more than 6.8 million scam-linked accounts, with a majority based in Southeast Asia, reports RTE.
In a joint effort, WhatsApp and Meta collaborated with OpenAI to take down a scam operation based in Cambodia that used ChatGPT to create messages containing a link to a WhatsApp chat designed to lure victims.
To protect users, Meta has started issuing warnings when WhatsApp users are added to unknown group chats by unfamiliar contacts, reports RTE.
These new “safety overviews” include group details, scam awareness tips, and a quick option to exit the group if needed.
“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 said in a blog post, reports RTE.
“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,” reports RTE.
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