The accounts were linked to fraudulent activities, ranging from crypto investments to pyramid schemes.
Meta has identified and banned more than 6.8 million WhatsApp accounts linked to scam operations during the first half of 2025, the tech giant said in an Aug. 5 statement.
“Some of the most prolific sources of scams are criminal scam centers, often fueled by forced labor and operated by organized crime primarily in Southeast Asia,” Meta stated. “We proactively detected and took down accounts before scam centers were able to operationalize them.”
Ranging from pyramid schemes to crypto investments, fraudsters use multiple platforms to manipulate targets. For instance, a scam may begin with a text message or on a dating app, then shift to social media, private messaging apps, and eventually crypto or payment platforms.
The malicious actors move victims through different platforms to “ensure that any one service has only a limited view into the entire scam, making it more challenging to detect,” the company stated.
In Meta’s statement, the company mentioned working with OpenAI to disrupt such scam efforts.
OpenAI reported activities originating in Cambodia, where scammers used ChatGPT to create text messages containing links to WhatsApp chats.
Targets who received the messages were then directed to Telegram, where they were offered money to like TikTok videos. The scammers asked the targets to deposit money into crypto accounts after enticing them with potential earnings, Meta said.
To protect users from scams, the company is introducing several new features.
This includes a group messaging feature that notifies users when added to a WhatsApp group by an unknown individual. The feature will include information on the group and allow users to exit without having to look at the chats.
Meta said it was looking for ways to caution users when they start a chat with people not in their contacts.
“We encourage you to pause, question, and verify, before responding to a suspicious or unusual message, especially if it’s from a number you don’t know promising fast money,” the company stated.
Meta has previously taken actions against scam accounts.
