Meta says it has shut down nearly 7 million WhatsApp accounts linked to scammers just in the first half of 2025. To keep users safe, WhatsApp has now launched new AI-powered safety features to combat scams, including suspicious message detection and group invite warnings.

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Meta has announced the shutdown of nearly 7 million WhatsApp accounts associated with scam operations in the first half of the year. The company identified these accounts through patterns of suspicious behavior, rather than by reading encrypted messages, and noted that many were linked to criminal rings in Southeast Asia.

To address the issue, Meta has introduced new AI-driven safety measures, including suspicious message detection, group invite warnings, and enhanced blocking capabilities. The company also collaborated with OpenAI to disrupt a scam traced to Cambodia that used AI-generated messages to lure victims. Meta advises users to be cautious, review messages carefully, and verify the identity of contacts before responding to requests, especially those involving financial transactions.

Meta shuts down millions of WhatsApp accounts linked to scams

Welcome back to CBS Mornings. The tech giant, Meta, says it has shut down nearly 7 million WhatsApp accounts linked to scammers just in the first half of this year. The company is promising new steps to keep users safe. And Jolene Kent has more on this. Jolene, good morning. Good morning, Adriana. WhatsApp says its messages are encrypted. So, Meta said they didn't read any messages in this case sent by scammers on the platform, but the company did detect scammy behavior that resulted in this ban. The accounts were linked to criminal rings across Southeast Asia. So, WhatsApp, with its over 2 billion users, has now launched new AI-powered safety measures to combat these kinds of scams. We're talking about suspicious message detection, group invite warnings, and enhanced blocking. This has all been announced by the company as of yesterday. Now, the tech giant says those criminal groups often have multiple operations at one time, ranging from fake crypto investments to get rich quick pyramid schemes. The company said the red flags are scammers asking you to pay up front with the promise of returns or earnings. Meta and WhatsApp also say they worked with open AI to disrupt a scam that was traced to Cambodia. The scam used chat GPT to generate text messages that contain malicious WhatsApp links meant to hook their victims, according to the company. Now, WhatsApp said these scams have resulted in people losing billions of dollars, Adriana. Oh, my gosh. Billions of dollars. So, Jo, what should people do on WhatsApp to avoid getting scammed? Look, this is the classic, you know, keep yourself safe tactics that you should be employing every single day. WhatsApp recommends you pause, take extra time to review messages before responding, and question any requests that pressures you to act quickly. And, of course, you always want to pick up the phone old school. Call the person who claims to be that friend or family member on these platforms. Double, triple, quadruple check. You will not regret it, Adriana. I like that old school advice, Jo. Thank you so much.

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