WhatsApp Cracks Down on Cyber Fraud Worldwide, Closing 6.8 Million Scam Accounts
Meta claims that scam hubs in Southeast Asia targeted victims through WhatsApp group frauds by using AI techniques and coerced labor.
As part of its global crackdown on cyber fraud, WhatsApp shuts down 6.8 million scam accounts.
The parent company of WhatsApp, Meta, claims that in the first half of 2025, it removed 6.8 million accounts connected to scams from the messaging app as part of a significant worldwide campaign against cybercrime.
Many of the deleted accounts were linked to organized crime groups that run scam hubs throughout Southeast Asia, especially in nations like Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar. These centers frequently use forced labor, recruiting people under false pretenses and forcing them to participate in internet scams, according to Meta.
Alongside the action, WhatsApp is introducing additional anti-scam tools, including as alerts when a user is added to a group chat by someone who is not on their contact list—a typical scammer ploy.
The crackdown is intended to combat an increase in WhatsApp-based frauds, in which scammers take over accounts or trick users into group chats that advertise phony offer of employment, investment possibilities, or get-rich-quick schemes.
In order to prevent several scams from reaching potential victims, Meta said that its systems “proactively detected and took down accounts before scam centers were able to operationalize them.”
In one instance, a network operated by a Cambodian gang that promoted a fraudulent rent-a-scooter pyramid scheme was disrupted by Meta in partnership with OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT. The fraud allegedly used ChatGPT and other AI tools to write instructions that offered money in exchange for social media likes.
These scams usually start with a text message, and then the victims are taken to social media or private messaging applications, where the fraud is practiced. According to Meta, cryptocurrencies and online payment systems are the final destination for many scams.
According to the firm, requesting upfront payment in exchange for promised profits is a glaring red flag in these schemes. Meta warned users to be on the lookout, saying, “There is always a catch.”
There have also been public warnings from authorities in the impacted areas. In order to prevent account hijacking, Singaporean authorities have advised citizens to use WhatsApp’s two-step verification function and to be on the lookout for odd messages or requests on messaging apps.
Concern over the growth of these scam centers has grown among both IT companies and governments. Beyond the monetary cost, human rights activists have expressed concern about the presence of forced labor, where trafficked people are imprisoned in scam complexes and coerced into running fraudulent schemes under threat of violence.
WhatsApp’s recent moves reflect a rising tech sector commitment to eradicate online fraud and the criminal organizations that perpetrate it, as cybercrime continues to change.
