WhatsApp has removed 6.8 million accounts linked to scams in the first half of 2025, parent company Meta announced, as part of a global crackdown on criminal networks exploiting the messaging platform.
Many of the accounts were reportedly tied to scam centers in Southeast Asia operated by organized crime groups, some of which used forced labour, Meta said.
The removals come as WhatsApp rolls out new anti-scam features, including alerts when users are added to group chats by people not in their contact lists — a common tactic used in fraudulent investment and phishing schemes.
Meta said the platform “proactively detected and took down accounts before scam centres were able to operationalise them.”
The company did not specify how many users were impacted by the scam attempts but said it continues to invest in machine learning tools and partnerships to stop abuse at scale. (Newswire)