WhatsApp has deleted more than 6.8 million accounts allegedly linked to criminal 'pig butchering' scam centres worldwide. The tech giant said it proactively detected and removed the accounts before they could be used by organised crime networks.
The scam centres, operating mainly in Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia, force thousands of people to run online scams. Victims are recruited under the guise of legitimate jobs and then trapped in virtual slavery, extracting tens of billions of dollars from innocent people globally.
The 'pig butchering' scams involve building trusted relationships with victims online, often starting with a text message or dating app chat. Scammers gradually move conversations to private messaging apps like WhatsApp and ultimately direct victims to transfer money into investment schemes, frequently via cryptocurrency.
In one instance, OpenAI found that scammers used ChatGPT to generate an initial text message containing a link to a WhatsApp chat, then quickly directed the victim to Telegram, where they were assigned tasks such as liking TikTok videos for money before being asked to deposit funds into a crypto account.
WhatsApp parent company Meta previously took down over two million accounts linked to such scam centres in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, the UAE, and the Philippines. The company urged users 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.'
