Meta Removes 6.8 Million WhatsApp Accounts in Global Scam Crackdown

Meta Platforms said it disabled more than 6.8 million WhatsApp accounts in the first half of 2025 after linking them to organised scam operations that targeted users worldwide. The company said most of the networks operated from Southeast Asia and that the accounts were shut down before they could be used, according to Clair Deevy, WhatsApp’s director of external affairs. The fraudulent schemes ranged from bogus cryptocurrency investments to pyramid sales, with some messages generated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Meta added in a blog post. The company is introducing “safety summaries” that warn users when they are added to unfamiliar group chats and offer tips on spotting scams. The action comes amid a broader effort to curb digital fraud. India’s government has blacklisted almost 4 million SIM cards in an AI-driven clampdown on mobile and financial crime, while TikTok says it removed 43,000 accounts and 450,000 videos in Kenya during the first quarter for violating its policies.