The company eliminated 159 million scam ads last year and dismantled 10.9 million accounts tied to criminal networks. It now aims to intercept scammers before they reach users.
Meta has unveiled new anti-scam tools across WhatsApp, Messenger, and Facebook, enhancing detection on its platforms and collaborating with law enforcement in Southeast Asia and beyond.
A notable feature in testing on Facebook alerts users to suspicious friend or follow requests. If the request comes from an account with no mutual connections, a different country location, or a recent creation date, a warning appears. Similar alerts appear when users send requests to such flagged accounts, disrupting the creation of fake profiles that gather mutual friends and eventually send scam messages.
WhatsApp introduces protection against device linking fraud, shielding users from malicious QR codes that link a scammer’s device to their account. The app warns users of suspicious linking requests and their origin.
For Messenger, Meta is expanding its scam detection feature to more countries, employing on-device analysis to flag suspicious messages and offer an AI review option. Users can change detection settings in Privacy & Safety Settings > Scam Detection.
Meta is pushing for wider advertiser verification, aiming for verified advertisers to represent 90% of ad revenue by 2026. The company removed over 159 million scam ads and 10.9 million fake accounts in the past year, and a recent operation with the Royal Thai Police led to 21 arrests and the removal of over 150,000 scam-linked accounts. A campaign with the US Department of State addresses trafficking in scam operations.
Meta is scrutinized over scam ads, following a Reuters report estimating $7 billion in annual revenue from suspicious ads. The company disputes some findings and continues to update on enforcement actions.