Meta says scam hubs in Southeast Asia used forced labour and AI tools to target victims through WhatsApp group frauds
Meta says scam hubs in Southeast Asia used forced labour and AI tools to target victims through WhatsApp group frauds
WhatsApp Shuts Down 6.8 Million Scam Accounts in Global Crackdown on Cyber FraudMeta, the parent company of WhatsApp, says it has taken down 6.8 million scam-linked accounts from the messaging platform in the first half of 2025, in what it described as a major global crackdown on cyber fraud.
Many of the removed accounts were traced to organised criminal networks operating scam centres in Southeast Asia, particularly in countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand. According to Meta, these centres often rely on forced labour, recruiting individuals under false pretences and coercing them into carrying out online scams.
The action coincides with the rollout of new anti-scam features on WhatsApp, including alerts when a user is added to a group chat by someone not in their contact list a known tactic used by fraudsters.
The crackdown aims to counter a rise in WhatsApp-based scams, where criminals hijack accounts or lure users into group chats promoting fake investment opportunities, fraudulent job offers, or get-rich-quick schemes.
Meta said its systems “proactively detected and took down accounts before scam centres were able to operationalise them,” helping to stop many frauds before they reached potential victims.
In one case, Meta collaborated with OpenAI, the developers of ChatGPT, to disrupt a network run by a Cambodian gang promoting a bogus rent-a-scooter pyramid scheme. The scam involved offering cash for social media likes, with instructions allegedly written using AI tools like ChatGPT.
Typically, these scams begin with a text message, after which victims are directed to private messaging apps or social media, where the fraud unfolds. Many scams are ultimately completed on cryptocurrency or online payment platforms, Meta said.
The company warned that a clear red flag in such schemes is being asked to pay money upfront to receive promised returns. “There is always a catch,” Meta stated, urging users to be vigilant.
Authorities in affected regions have also issued public warnings. In Singapore, police have cautioned residents to be alert for unusual messages or requests on messaging platforms, and to enable WhatsApp’s two-step verification featureto safeguard against account hijacking.
The rise of these scam centres has drawn increasing concern from governments and tech firms alike. Beyond the financial toll, human rights advocates have also raised alarms over the forced labour component, with trafficked individuals trapped in scam compounds and forced to operate fraudulent schemes under threat of violence.
As cybercrime continues to evolve, WhatsApp’s latest actions signal a growing tech-industry push to root out online fraud and the criminal enterprises behind it.
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