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WhatsApp detected and banned more than 6.8 million accounts linked to scam centers during the first six months of 2025, Meta said in an announcement on August 5, 2025. Meta said the accounts were removed before the scam centers could put them to use. The figure is Meta’s enforcement count—not an independently audited total, a count of victims, or a count of distinct people.
What Meta reported—and what the number means
Meta said WhatsApp’s proactive work detected and banned over 6.8 million accounts tied to scam centers from January through June 2025. The Associated Press reported the figure and period the next day, attributing them to Meta. Neither source provides a detailed counting method or independent audit, so the exact total cannot be independently confirmed from the reports.
The number describes accounts, not people or victims. Meta and AP did not say how many distinct people, active accounts, or attempted scam contacts the figure represents. It is a six-month historical figure, not a running total of accounts removed since then.
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How scam-center campaigns can move between apps
Meta says these operations can run multiple schemes, including cryptocurrency investment and pyramid schemes. A pitch may begin by SMS or on a dating app, shift to social media or a private messaging service, and eventually direct a target to a payment or cryptocurrency platform. Moving the conversation across services can make the full campaign harder for any one company to see. Meta describes this as a pattern it has observed, not a sequence used in every scam.
An offer of easy earnings or unusually high returns that requires an upfront payment is a warning sign in Meta’s account. The pitch may build trust or show an apparent balance first, then ask the target to pay to continue or withdraw supposed earnings.
Meta’s Cambodia example
Meta described a campaign it linked to a criminal scam center in Cambodia. According to the company, scammers used ChatGPT to generate an opening message containing a WhatsApp link, then moved the target to Telegram and assigned a task involving liking TikTok videos. They displayed an amount the target had supposedly earned before asking for a cryptocurrency deposit. Meta said WhatsApp, Meta, and OpenAI disrupted the efforts.
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WhatsApp safety features Meta announced
Meta’s August 2025 announcement described two different levels of feature maturity:
| Feature | Status Meta gave in August 2025 | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Overview for unfamiliar group additions | Meta said it was launching the feature. | When someone outside your contacts adds you to a new group you may not recognize, the overview provides group information and safety tips. It lets you leave without opening the chat and silences notifications until you choose to stay. |
| Context for chats from non-contacts | Meta said it was exploring approaches; it was not described as generally available. | The proposed context would appear when someone outside your contacts starts an individual chat. |
These are the statuses Meta reported on August 5, 2025; rollout and availability can change. The announcement does not establish the features’ current availability for every user.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to respond to a suspicious WhatsApp message
Meta’s advice is to pause, question, and verify before responding to an unusual message, especially an unknown number promising fast money. Practical checks include:
- Pause before paying or sharing information. Treat requests for upfront money, gift cards, PINs, or urgent action as warning signs.
- Question implausible offers. Be wary of unusually high pay, guaranteed returns, or easy tasks that require a deposit to continue.
- Verify personal requests separately. If a message claims to be from a friend or relative, contact that person using a number or method you already know—not contact details supplied in the suspicious message.
Account takedowns and in-app warnings can disrupt some activity, but Meta’s announcement does not promise that every scam will be detected or prevented.
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