The account deletions are part of wider company efforts to crack down on scams, WhatsApp parent Meta said, including new security tools.

In the first half of 2025, WhatsApp banned over 6.8 million accounts “linked to scam centres," according to parent company, Meta. “Some of the most prolific sources of scams are criminal scam centres, often fuelled by forced labour and operated by organised crime primarily in Southeast Asia,” the company said.

Many of the accounts were linked to criminal groups operating in South East Asia, the social media giant said.