WhatsApp takes down 6.8 million accounts linked to criminal scam centres worldwide
Millions of WhatsApp accounts deleted in scam crackdown
- WhatsApp has deleted more than 6.8 million accounts linked to criminal “pig butchering” scam centres globally.
- These scams are operated by organised crime networks, predominantly in Southeast Asia, who force individuals into virtual slavery to defraud victims.
- The “pig butchering” method involves building trusted relationships online, often via text messages or dating apps, to manipulate victims into transferring money into fraudulent investment schemes, frequently using cryptocurrency.
- Tech companies, including WhatsApp and OpenAI, have coordinated efforts to disrupt these operations, with OpenAI noting the use of ChatGPT to generate initial scam messages.
- WhatsApp's recent action involved proactively detecting and taking down accounts before scam centres could operationalise them, advising users to verify suspicious messages.