Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, has announced the deactivation of nearly 7 million WhatsApp accounts linked to scams in the first half of 2025, as part of its ongoing efforts to combat online fraud.
The company revealed that many of the banned accounts were operated by organized criminal syndicates, particularly in Southeast Asia, and were associated with a wide range of fraudulent activities, including fake cryptocurrency investments and pyramid schemes.
“Our team identified the accounts and disabled them before the criminal organizations that created them could use them,” said Clair Deevy, WhatsApp’s Director of External Affairs.
In a statement and briefing, Meta warned users about scams that promise easy returns but require upfront payments, urging them to be alert to such red flags.
Meta also disclosed that it had collaborated with OpenAI to shut down a scam network based in Cambodia, which was using ChatGPT-generated messages to lure users into WhatsApp chats through phishing links.
To further protect users, WhatsApp has introduced new safety features, including warnings when users are added to unfamiliar group chats by unknown contacts.
The platform now offers “safety overviews” to educate users on identifying suspicious groups and provides an option to exit quickly.
“We’ve all experienced it, a message from a stranger, or an unexpected group chat offering guaranteed investment returns or asking for payment on an ‘overdue’ bill,” WhatsApp said in a blog post.
“The reality is, these are often scams that exploit people’s trust, fears, or desire to help.”
