WhatsApp has removed 6.8m scam-linked accounts in the first half of the year, Meta confirmed. Many were tied to organized crime in Southeast Asia, often involving forced labor, according to BBC.
The move comes alongside new anti-scam features, like alerts when users are added to group chats by unknown contacts. Meta said most accounts were taken down before they could be used in scams.
In one case, WhatsApp and OpenAI helped stop a Cambodian group using AI to push a fake scooter rental scheme. Users are urged to stay alert and use tools like two-step verification for protection, BBC reported.
