WhatsApp has banned over 6.8 million accounts linked to criminal scam centers that target individuals worldwide and has introduced new safety measures to assist users identify and steer clear of frauds in both group and individual conversations.
“The tools are intended to give users additional context before they interact, especially when they are added to new groups or start conversations with people who are not in their contacts,” the Meta-owned messaging platform stated.
Additionally, it said that it dismantled a fraud network linked to Cambodia by collaborating with OpenAI in a concerted enforcement campaign.
“In the first six months of this year, as part of our ongoing proactive work to protect people from scams, WhatsApp detected and banned over 6.8 million accounts linked to scam centres,” Whatsapp said.
When a user is added to a group they are unfamiliar with by someone outside of their contacts, the app will now provide a safety overview for group conversations.
The overview provides safety advice, indicates whether the person who added them is in their contacts, and indicates whether they know other members. Users can open the chat if they would like additional context; if not, group alerts will stay muted until they decide to stay.
According to WhatsApp, this is done to stop fake links from spreading through bulk invitations and to stop unexpected additions to big or harmful groups.
Scammers frequently start internet conversations with victims before transferring them to private messaging. In order to combat this, WhatsApp is experimenting with techniques to provide users additional background when they initiate a discussion with someone who is not in their address book. This will allow users to determine the contact’s validity before replying.
WhatsApp advised users to examine messages carefully before replying, to question requests that make them feel compelled to act right away, and to confirm the legitimacy of anybody posing as a friend or relative via another method.
According to the corporation, the new contextual cues are intended to reward safe behavior and make it simpler to identify warning signs. As testing continues, the tools will be progressively released, with modifications anticipated in response to user input and changing fraud strategies.
