Photo File : WhatsApp app page displayed on an iPhone as seen on the Apple App Store.

WhatsApp has removed over 6.8 million accounts associated with global scam operations in the first half of 2025, its parent company Meta has revealed.

According to Meta, many of these accounts were connected to scam centres run by organised criminal networks in Southeast Asia, where forced labour is often used to carry out fraudulent activities.

The announcement coincided with the rollout of new anti-scam features on WhatsApp, designed to alert users to suspicious behaviour such as being added to a group chat by someone not in their contact list. The crackdown specifically targets a growing scam tactic where criminals hijack WhatsApp accounts or lure users into fraudulent group chats promoting fake investment schemes and other scams.

Meta stated that WhatsApp had “proactively detected and removed accounts before scam centres were able to operationalize them.”

In a notable case, WhatsApp collaborated with Meta and OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, to disrupt a scam network linked to a Cambodian crime syndicate. The group had been using artificial intelligence to create scripts for defrauding users through a fake rent-a-scooter pyramid scheme that promised cash rewards for social media engagement.

Typically, scammers initiate contact via text messages and later move conversations to private messaging apps. The fraud is usually completed on payment or cryptocurrency platforms, Meta explained.

“There is always a catch, and it should be a red flag for everyone you have to pay upfront to receive the promised returns or earnings,” Meta warned.

UK consumer advocacy group Which? welcomed the move but called on Meta to intensify its efforts across all its platforms.

“Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp users are being inundated with fraudulent ads from fake investment opportunities to counterfeit products and non-existent job offers,” said consumer law expert Lisa Webb. “Meta must ensure such scams are prevented from appearing in the first place.”

Webb also urged the UK communications regulator, Ofcom, to enforce provisions of the Online Safety Act already in effect and to establish strong rules on paid-for fraudulent ads, to ensure tech companies are held fully accountable for content on their platforms.

Authorities in Southeast Asia continue to warn the public about ongoing scam threats. Many scam centres reportedly lure individuals with false job offers and then force them to participate in fraudulent operations.

To counter these risks, users are encouraged to activate WhatsApp’s two-step verification and remain cautious about unusual requests on messaging platforms. In Singapore, for example, the police have issued public advisories urging vigilance against suspicious activities online.