Meta deletes nearly 7 million WhatsApp accounts used by scammers

Meta announced that in the first half of 2025, it disabled more than 6.8 million WhatsApp accounts linked to scam networks, many of them operated by organized criminal gangs. These accounts were detected before they could be used to defraud users, said Clair Deevy , WhatsApp's director of external affairs.

“ Our team identified the accounts and disabled them before the criminal organizations that created them could use them ,” Deevy said.

According to WhatsApp executives, the most common scams include fake cryptocurrency investments , pyramid schemes , and scams promising "easy money." They all share a common theme: requesting an advance payment with the promise of quick profits.

“ There's always a catch. If you're asked for money to get promised profits, that's a red flag ,” the company warned in a blog post.

Meta also detailed that many of these accounts were located in Southeast Asia , and that criminal organizations are using increasingly sophisticated techniques.

One of the scams busted was traced to Cambodia and used OpenAI's ChatGPT to generate messages with links to WhatsApp chats where victims were hooked.

In response to this situation, WhatsApp is implementing new security measures , including "safety summaries" that will appear when a user is added to an unknown group. These provide information about the group, tips for identifying scams, and the option to leave immediately.

“We've all been there: someone you don't know adds you to a group and promises unrealistic opportunities or demands you pay a fake invoice,” Meta explained. “The reality is that they're often scammers who take advantage of people's trust, kindness, or fear.”