Meta on Tuesday said it’s launching new tools to protect Messenger and WhatsApp users from potential scams.
To that end, the company said it’s introducing new warnings on WhatsApp when users attempt to share their screen with an unknown contact during a video call so as to prevent them from giving away sensitive information like bank details or verification codes.
On Messenger, users can opt to enable a setting called “Scam detection” by navigating to Privacy & safety settings. Once it’s turned on, users are alerted when they receive a potentially suspicious message from an unknown connection that may contain signs of a scam.
“Because detection happens on your device, chats with end-to-end encryption stay secure,” Meta said in a support document. “If you’re notified that a chat may contain signs of a scam, we’ll ask if you’d like to send recent messages you received to AI review. Messages that are shared with AI are no longer end-to-end encrypted.”
If the review finds that it’s indeed a possible scam, users are given more information about common scams, such as job offers in exchange for money, opportunities promising fast cash, and work-from-home offers for jobs that can’t possibly be done remotely. Users are also provided options to block or report the account in question.
As part of its ongoing efforts to combat scams, the social media giant said it took action on over 21,000 Facebook Pages and accounts masquerading as customer support in an attempt to trick people into sharing their personal information.
In addition, Meta said it detected and disrupted close to 8 million accounts on Facebook and Instagram since the start of the year that are associated with criminal scam centers targeting people, including the elderly, across the world through messaging, dating apps, social media, crypto, and other apps. The scam compounds operated out of Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, the United Arab Emirates, and the Philippines.
These schemes, often called romance baiting (aka pig butchering), are run by cybercrime syndicates based out of Southeast Asia and refer to a type of investment fraud where criminals entice victims into depositing ever-larger sums into bogus platforms with promises of bigger returns.
In many of the cases, the scammers – who are themselves trafficked into the region with lures of high-paying jobs and held against their will – initiate contact with victims through dating apps, social media platforms, or private messaging services like WhatsApp.
Once they establish rapport, the operation moves to the next phase, with the threat actors steering victims toward supposed investment opportunities, often tied to cryptocurrencies, and deceiving them into depositing their funds and ultimately disappearing without a trace.
“Central to the scam is psychological manipulation: perpetrators cultivate emotional bonds, instill confidence, and in some cases even simulate romantic relationships,” Infoblox noted in an analysis published earlier this month. “This drawn-out grooming process lowers victims’ defenses and primes them to believe in promises of extraordinary returns, leading to devastating financial losses.”
