WhatsApp has permanently removed more than 6.8 million accounts suspected of links to global “pig butchering” scam networks, in what parent company Meta describes as a pre-emptive strike against organised criminal operations exploiting the platform to defraud users.
The accounts, dismantled in the first six months of the year, were reportedly associated with criminal syndicates running large-scale online fraud centres across Southeast Asia, particularly in Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and the UAE.
According to Meta, the decision to delete the accounts was made before scammers could actively deploy them.
“Based on our investigative insights into the latest enforcement efforts, we proactively detected and took down accounts before scam centres were able to operationalise them,” the company stated in a blog post.
“We encourage you to pause, question, and verify before responding to a suspicious or unusual message, especially if it’s from a number you don’t know promising fast money.”
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Organised criminal groups who lure job seekers with fake offers often ran these scam centres—many of which emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic and then force them to participate in online scams under conditions amounting to digital servitude.
Victims are coerced into manipulating others into transferring funds into fraudulent investment schemes, particularly those involving cryptocurrency.
The fraudulent operation typically begins with an unsolicited message, often sent through a dating app or text.
The conversation then moves to private messaging apps like WhatsApp or Telegram, where the scammer gradually earns the target’s trust.
Once a rapport is established, the fraudsters convince their victims to send money into fake investment portfolios.
Meta disclosed that WhatsApp had taken part in joint actions with ChatGPT-developer OpenAI and other tech firms to crack down on such activity.
In one reported instance, OpenAI discovered that its tool had been used to generate a WhatsApp link that redirected users to a Telegram channel.
There, victims were told to “like” TikTok videos in exchange for money—a ploy tied to a Cambodian group running a fake scooter rental pyramid scheme.
The blog post by Meta revealed that the scammers had also used ChatGPT to compose the instructions given to potential victims.
“There is always a catch and it should be a red flag for everyone: you have to pay upfront to get promised returns or earnings,” Meta warned.
Raids on scam compounds, such as one in Cambodia’s Kandal province, have uncovered a trove of smartphones, computers and other equipment used to run these operations.
These centres, which target billions in fraudulent gains, are also known to rely on human trafficking, with workers recruited under false pretences and held against their will to run scams.
To counter these escalating tactics, WhatsApp has launched new safeguards aimed at alerting users when they are added to group chats by individuals not in their contact list—a common technique used to trap users in investment fraud rings.
Authorities across Southeast Asia have urged users to activate WhatsApp’s two-step verification feature to safeguard their accounts from hijack attempts.
Law enforcement bodies in countries like Singapore have issued public advisories asking residents to treat unexpected or suspicious messages on messaging platforms with extreme caution.
Meta reiterated that these measures are part of a broader commitment to dismantling the operations of criminal scam centres.
As tech giants and law enforcement ramp up their response, the battle against online financial deception is far from over.
However, this sweeping account takedown signals a notable step forward in the effort to curb the global spread of organised digital fraud.
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