US EditionWhatsApp Deletes 6,800,000 Scam Accounts Offering Fake Jobs and Products
SOUTHEAST ASIA, AUG 6 – WhatsApp removed 6.8 million scam accounts linked to Southeast Asian criminal networks using forced labor for fraudulent investment schemes, protecting billions of users from evolving AI-enhanced scams.
- Meta removed 6.8 million WhatsApp accounts in the first half of 2024 as part of a global crackdown on scam operations originating mainly from Southeast Asia.
- The removal came amid rising fraud losses, with the FTC reporting that in 2024, consumer financial harm from scams exceeded $12.5 billion, fueled by increasingly complex schemes operating across various platforms.
- WhatsApp introduced new anti-scam features warning users when added to group chats by unknown contacts and collaborated with OpenAI to dismantle a Cambodian pyramid scheme using ChatGPT-generated instructions.
- Consumer law expert Lisa Webb highlighted that users of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp are frequently targeted by deceptive advertisements promoting scams such as bogus investments, unreliable merchandise, and fake employment opportunities.
- This crackdown and new UK Online Safety Act provisions requiring age verification highlight the need for more proactive and comprehensive measures to prevent evolving scams and protect users, especially children.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Meta Disrupts Millions of Whatsapp Scam Accounts as Internet Schemes Rise
Meta said Tuesday it banned more than 6.8 million WhatsApp accounts this year linked to scam operations, as the company fights a wave of criminal activity on the internet that has wrangled billions of dollars out of victims’ savings.
6.8M WhatsApp Accounts Shut Down in Meta’s Fight Against Scam Networks
Scam groups use fake investments, crypto fraud, and social media manipulation to deceive victims across platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and TikTok. This article has been indexed from Security | TechRepublic Read the original article: 6.8M WhatsApp Accounts Shut Down in… Read more → The post 6.8M WhatsApp Accounts Shut Down in Meta’s Fight Against Scam Networks appeared first on IT Security News.
WhatsApp confirmed that it has eliminated more than 6.8 million accounts so far this year, as part of a comprehensive strategy to strengthen the security of its platform and protect users against scams.The announcement was published this Tuesday, August 5 through an official statement on Meta's blog.What kind of accounts were deleted?The deleted accounts were associated with criminal scam centers that operate in an organized way, especially in S…
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