Meta recently announced that in the first half of 2025, nearly 7 million WhatsApp accounts suspected of fraud were banned, most of which originated from Southeast Asia. This record-high figure has effectively curbed the spread of telecommunications fraud before criminal groups could officially act, highlighting the ongoing active status of Southeast Asia as the core of the cross-border fraud industry chain.
Meta stated that these accounts are mostly controlled by organized crime groups, with common scam tactics including fake cryptocurrency investments, pyramid rebate schemes, and sending intimidating messages impersonating debt collectors, all aimed at enticing users to click on phishing links and commit property fraud.
It is noteworthy that Meta, in collaboration with OpenAI, has exposed a new type of scam—fraudsters using ChatGPT to automatically generate phishing messages, luring users into joining scam groups for deception. This scheme was orchestrated by a Cambodian criminal group, showing that AI technology has become a new tool for upgrading scam methods.
In response to this trend, WhatsApp introduced several anti-fraud features this Tuesday, including risk warnings when strangers add users to groups, a "quick exit from suspicious groups" button, and pop-up anti-fraud alerts, helping users enhance their awareness and ability to prevent fraud.
Meta emphasized that it will continue to strengthen cooperation with international law enforcement agencies and will increase monitoring and crackdown on fraud-related accounts in Southeast Asia in the future, striving to purify the online environment.
