WhatsApp has removed over 6.8 million accounts linked to global scam networks in the first half of 2025, while simultaneously deploying new tools to enhance user safety and combat increasingly sophisticated online fraud tactics employed by criminal organizations and forced labor camps in Southeast Asia.
The reported removal of over 6.8 million accounts within the first six months of 2025 highlights the scale of fraudulent activities occurring on the platform. Many of these accounts have been identified as being operated by criminal organizations and entities associated with forced labor camps situated in Southeast Asia. This aggressive account removal initiative is a direct response to the escalating threat posed by these networks, which aim to defraud individuals globally.
Concurrently with these enforcement actions, WhatsApp is introducing a suite of new tools designed to assist users in identifying and mitigating scam attempts. These updates are being implemented in recognition of the evolving nature of online fraud, where perpetrators increasingly leverage private messaging applications, dating platforms, social media, and artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT to execute their schemes. The integration of these new features aims to empower users with greater control and awareness regarding potential fraudulent interactions.
The operational methodologies of online scammers have become more intricate, often spanning multiple digital platforms. Criminal enterprises frequently initiate contact on one application, such as a text messaging service or a dating application, then transition the victim to WhatsApp, and subsequently move the conversation to other platforms like Telegram or a cryptocurrency exchange. This multi-platform approach is a deliberate tactic, making it more challenging for security systems and individual users to detect the fraudulent activity. In some reported cases, a single scam operation involved guiding a victim through as many as five distinct applications, obfuscating the trajectory of the fraud.
In a notable instance of collaborative enforcement, WhatsApp and Meta engaged in a partnership with OpenAI to dismantle a scam operation with demonstrable links to Cambodia. In this specific scheme, fraudsters utilized ChatGPT to generate messages purporting to offer fictitious “like-for-pay” employment opportunities. Victims were instructed to initiate communication on WhatsApp, subsequently redirected to Telegram, and then prompted to perform actions such as liking TikTok videos. After a period during which the scammers cultivated trust with the victims, they proceeded to solicit cryptocurrency deposits under the guise of unlocking fabricated earnings. This particular case exemplifies the sophisticated integration of AI tools in contemporary scam operations and the cross-platform nature of these criminal endeavors.
