Have you recently been added to loads of WhatsApp groups about a £1 million job offer or something like that? I know I have! Meta is stepping up its fight against scam centres in Southeast Asia, and WhatsApp is right in the middle of the action. Over 6.8 million accounts have already been banned this year as Meta targets fraud campaigns abusing the popular messaging app.
WhatsApp’s default settings allow anyone to add you to a group if they have your phone number. And guess what? Phone numbers are easy to get hold of, thanks to data breaches and dark web marketplaces.
Cybercriminals have been exploiting this feature to run all sorts of scams—from crypto investment frauds to pyramid schemes.
Meta isn’t changing the default settings (yet), but WhatsApp is introducing new alerts. If someone not in your contacts adds you to a group, you’ll now get a safety overview.
This will show:
Basic info about the group
Tips to stay safe
The option to view the group or leave without opening it
And until you choose to stay, all notifications from that group will be silenced by default.
Scammers don’t just stop at groups—they’re also sliding into DMs. To counter this, WhatsApp is testing warnings when you start chatting with someone not in your contacts. This gives you a heads-up so you can think twice before replying.
In just the first half of this year, WhatsApp has banned millions of accounts linked to scam centres. Many were caught before they could even be used.
One operation Meta helped disrupt involved scammers using ChatGPT to write fake messages, lure users to WhatsApp, and eventually push them onto Telegram. This convinces victims to deposit money into fake crypto schemes.
Scams ranged from paid TikTok likes to dodgy investment pyramids and even rent-a-scooter cons.
Want to block random group invites? Just tweak your WhatsApp settings:
Go to Settings
Tap Privacy
Select Groups
Choose My Contacts (or limit it further)
This quick change can cut off a major route scammers use to reach you.
We hope you’ve liked this blog. Stay tuned for more blogs like this. Stay safe!
