Meta purged 6.8 million WhatsApp user accounts tied to illicit scammers
In today's digital age, scams are becoming a common nuisance, filling our phones, social media, and other corners of the internet each day. To combat this growing problem, Meta, the company behind WhatsApp, has rolled out new tools to help users spot and avoid scams.
Meta has identified some of the most prolific sources of scams as criminal scam centers, often operated by forced labor and organized crime. These scam centers target people across multiple platforms simultaneously to evade detection. Scammers frequently use AI-generated messages, such as those from ChatGPT, to initiate contact, then move conversations across multiple platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and TikTok.
Common WhatsApp scams include cryptocurrency investment schemes, romance scams, pyramid schemes, fake job or rental offers, and social media engagement frauds where victims are asked to like videos or posts before being pressured to send money, often via cryptocurrency.
To protect themselves, users should pause and think before responding to messages or group invites from unknown contacts. They should question suspicious claims or offers, especially those promising easy money or requesting payment upfront, particularly through cryptocurrency. Users are also advised to verify identities via secondary channels, such as calling the contact on a known phone number if contacted on WhatsApp, or vice versa.
WhatsApp has introduced new safety features to aid users in this regard. The Group Safety Overview provides information about unfamiliar groups and allows users to quietly leave them. Chat Warnings alert when messaging unknown contacts.
Meta has disrupted a number of these scam campaigns in partnership with OpenAI. Recently, WhatsApp has taken down 6.8 million accounts linked to criminal scam centers. This is part of wider company efforts to crack down on scams.
Users are encouraged to avoid engaging with unsolicited messages promising investment opportunities or requesting actions like liking social media content as part of a supposed earning scheme. These precautions, combined with WhatsApp’s ongoing crackdown, are crucial steps toward reducing vulnerability to fraud on the platform.
It's important to stay vigilant and cautious in the face of these scams. By following these tips and keeping an eye out for suspicious activity, users can help ensure their safety online.
- The criminal scam centers, operating with forced labor and organized crime, use technology like AI-generated messages to initiate contact across multiple platforms, such as WhamsApp, Telegram, and TikTok, which fall under the category of general-news due to their prevalence and impact on society.
- To combat these cybersecurity threats, Meta has introduced new tools on WhatsApp, including safety features like the Group Safety Overview and Chat Warnings, aiming to protect users from scams related to crime and justice, such as cryptocurrency schemes, romance scams, and pyramid schemes.
