WhatsApp Bans Nearly 7 Million Scam Accounts in Global Crackdown

Meta has revealed that it shut down nearly seven million WhatsApp accounts in the first half of 2025, targeting operations linked to online scams and fraud.

“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.

The banned accounts—over 6.8 million—were mostly traced to scam centers operating out of Southeast Asia. WhatsApp executives said many of these schemes were run by organized criminal networks promoting fake cryptocurrency offers, pyramid schemes, or urgent payment scams.

“There is always a catch and it should be a red flag for everyone: you have to pay upfront to get promised returns or earnings,” WhatsApp warned in a blog post.

Meta disclosed that one of the busted operations was traced to Cambodia. It reportedly used ChatGPT to generate scam messages that lured victims via links into WhatsApp chats. The company said it collaborated with OpenAI to shut it down.

To bolster its defenses, WhatsApp now warns users when they’re added to unfamiliar group chats by unknown contacts. A new feature called “safety overview” provides group info, scam detection tips, and an easy option to leave.

“We’ve all been there: someone you don’t know attempting to message you, or add you to a group chat, promising low-risk investment opportunities or easy money, or saying you have an unpaid bill that’s overdue,” Meta said.

“The reality is, these are often scammers trying to prey on people’s kindness, trust and willingness to help — or, their fears that they could be in trouble if they don’t send money fast.”