In the first half of 2025, WhatsApp removed more than 6.8 million accounts linked to scams and criminal operations, primarily based in Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand. These accounts were taken down proactively by Meta before they could be used in fraudulent schemes.
Many of the scams involved forced labor and promised fake job offers, lottery wins, or investment opportunities. To counter these tactics, WhatsApp has rolled out new anti-fraud tools, including alerts when users are added to group chats by unknown contacts—a method often used by scammers.
Meta also encourages users to activate two-step verification for added protection. In a major case, WhatsApp collaborated with Meta’s security team and OpenAI to shut down a Cambodian crime network that used ChatGPT to craft scam messages for a fake rent-a-scooter pyramid scheme.
Typically, these scams begin with random messages and then shift to private conversations, leading victims to send payments through apps or cryptocurrency. Meta has warned users to be cautious of offers that require upfront payments for promised returns—an indicator of fraud.
Authorities in countries like Singapore have urged users to report suspicious behavior and avoid interacting with unknown senders on WhatsApp.
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