WhatsApp has intensified its efforts to combat sophisticated messaging scams by removing millions of suspicious accounts and introducing new in-app safety features aimed at protecting users worldwide.
The latest measures reflect the platform’s ongoing commitment to safeguarding its users in the face of increasingly complex and coordinated fraudulent activities.
According to the company, more than 6.8 million accounts linked to criminal scam centres were proactively detected and banned in the first half of this year alone.
These swift actions were implemented before the perpetrators could fully execute their fraudulent campaigns, effectively preventing potential harm to a vast number of users.
Alongside the account takedowns, WhatsApp has also rolled out enhanced safety tools within the app to help users identify and avoid scams more easily.
“The fight against scams is a relentless one, and we are continually evolving our defenses to stay ahead of bad actors,” said Kojo Boakye, Vice President of Public Policy, Africa, Middle East and Türkiye at Meta.
“This is part of our unwavering commitment to protect our users, not just by banning malicious accounts, but by empowering individuals with the tools and knowledge they need to recognize and avoid these sophisticated threats.
“We believe that a safer messaging environment is built through a combination of robust technology, proactive detection, and user education.”
How Scammers Operate
Criminal scam centers often run multiple campaigns simultaneously, ranging from deceptive cryptocurrency investments to elaborate pyramid schemes. A common red flag for these scams is the demand for upfront payments to secure promised returns.
These fraudulent activities frequently span multiple platforms, starting on dating apps or via text messages, then migrating to social media, private messaging apps like WhatsApp, and ultimately to payment or crypto platforms.
This multi-platform approach is designed to evade detection by individual services, making comprehensive disruption more challenging.
In the latest example of cross-industry collaboration, WhatsApp, Meta, and OpenAI jointly disrupted a scam operation linked to a criminal scam centre in Cambodia.
This network utilized ChatGPT to generate initial text messages directing targets to WhatsApp, then quickly moved them to Telegram where they were assigned a task of liking videos on TikTok, eventually coercing them into depositing money into crypto accounts.
New WhatsApp Anti-Scam Tools
In addition to disrupting scam centres, WhatsApp is rolling out new features designed to protect against known scam tactics:
- Group Messaging: A new safety overview will now appear when a user is added to an unfamiliar group by someone not in their contacts. This overview provides key group information and safety tips, allowing users to exit the group without viewing the chat. Notifications from such groups will be silenced until the user explicitly chooses to engage.
- Individual Messaging: WhatsApp is testing new approaches to caution users before they engage with unknown contacts. This includes providing additional context about the sender when initiating a chat with someone not in their contacts, enabling users to make informed decisions.
Tips to Avoid Scams in Private Messaging
WhatsApp encourages all users to adopt a “Pause, Question, Verify” approach when encountering suspicious or unusual messages:
- PAUSE: Take time before responding. Think about whether this is a number you recognize, or whether it reads like a legitimate ask.
- QUESTION: Does the request make sense? Does it seem too good to be true? Are they asking for money, gift cards, or PIN codes? Are they rushing you into taking action? These might be signs of a scam.
- VERIFY: If the sender claims to be a friend or family member, verify their identity directly through another communication method (e.g., a phone call to a known number) before taking any action.
WhatsApp remains dedicated to continually enhancing its security measures and collaborating with industry partners to create a safer digital environment for its global community.