WhatsApp Blocks 6.8 Million Fraudulent Accounts and Develops New Protection Tools

WhatsApp, a subsidiary of Meta, revealed that it has disabled 6.8 million fraudulent accounts during the first half of this year, before criminals could use them for scams. The platform confirmed that it is working on developing new tools to enhance user protection against increasing cyber threats.

WhatsApp explained that many of the scam messages, which promote fake investments in cryptocurrencies or fake jobs, originate from forced labor camps run by criminal gangs in Southeast Asia.

Claire Duffy, an official at WhatsApp, stated in a comment to AFP: "Our team detected and stopped the accounts before the criminal organizations that created them could use them."

She added that these banned accounts "had not sent any messages yet," preventing them from reaching potential victims.

WhatsApp relies on cooperation with external entities, including other social media platforms, to track suspicious accounts that appear across multiple applications simultaneously. Duffy also revealed a joint operation with Meta and OpenAI (the developer of ChatGPT) to dismantle a fraud network operating from Cambodia.

She noted that scammers exploit generative AI tools like ChatGPT to craft professional scam messages, containing links that direct victims to other platforms like Telegram, where they are asked to interact with content on TikTok as part of the scam schemes.

As part of its efforts to combat fraud, Meta added a feature that alerts users when they are added to WhatsApp groups that include unknown individuals, allowing them to leave the group "without even viewing the conversation."

This comes in the context of Meta's ongoing efforts to enhance digital security, especially after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, where Facebook user data was used for unauthorized political targeting.

Although modern technologies like artificial intelligence have enabled security teams to automatically detect threats, they have also provided scammers with tools to execute more complex and convincing operations, necessitating continuous updates to protective measures.