Meta Gives Reasons Why it Deleted 6.8 Million WhatsApp Accounts Within 6 Months
- Global social media giant, Meta, said it deleted millions of WhatsApp accounts over the past six months
- In a statement made available to Legit.ng, Meta said it axed 6.8 million WhatsApp accounts between January and June
- The company said the deleted accounts engaged in scams and other activities considered suspicious and criminal
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Meta has axed millions of WhatsApp accounts that violated its safety policies.
This was made known through a statement the global social media giant sent to Legit.ng.
Source: Getty Images
According to the statement, 6.8 million WhatsApp accounts were axed in the first six months of 2025.
Why 6.8 million WhatsApp accounts were deleted
Meta said the deleted accounts were associated with criminal scam centres.
The statement reads in part:
"WhatsApp announced significant advancements in its ongoing fight against sophisticated messaging scams, including taking down millions of accounts linked to criminal scam centers and the rollout of new in-app safety features designed to protect users globally.
"These efforts underscore WhatsApp’s commitment to user security amidst a landscape of increasingly complex fraudulent schemes."
The social media company said the deletion happened before the accounts could take root.
It said:
"In the first six months of this year alone, WhatsApp proactively detected and banned over 6.8 million accounts associated with criminal scam centers.
"These decisive actions were taken before scam centers could fully operationalize their fraudulent campaigns, preventing potential harm to countless users."
Speaking on the development, Kojo Boakye, vice president of Public Policy, Africa, Middle East and Türkiye at Meta, said the fight against scams is a relentless one.
"The fight against scams is a relentless one, and we are continually evolving our defenses to stay ahead of bad actors.
"This is part of our unwavering commitment to protect our users, not just by banning malicious accounts, but by empowering individuals with the tools and knowledge they need to recognize and avoid these sophisticated threats.
"We believe that a safer messaging environment is built through a combination of robust technology, proactive detection, and user education."
How scam accounts work
Meta said the suspicious accounts follow a multiplatform approach to avoid being detected.
It said:
"Criminal scam centers often run multiple campaigns simultaneously, ranging from deceptive cryptocurrency investments to elaborate pyramid schemes. A common red flag for these scams is the demand for upfront payments to secure promised returns.
"These fraudulent activities frequently span multiple platforms, starting on dating apps or via text messages, then migrating to social media, private messaging apps like WhatsApp, and ultimately to payment or crypto platforms.
"This multi-platform approach is designed to evade detection by individual services, making comprehensive disruption more challenging."
Source: Getty Images
People who will be affected if Meta exits Nigeria
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that there are many people, organisations that will be affected if Meta decides to close down Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp in Nigeria.
Also, content creators, businesses, corporate organisations, online vendors, media houses and even the government use it to reach their audience.
Recently, social media giant Meta threatened to shut down Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp in Nigeria owing to a dispute with the government.
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Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
