Online fraud has expanded considerably in India in recent months, generating widespread worry. Scammers typically approach victims over WhatsApp and lure them with a simple work-from-home job offer that allows them to earn a little more cash from the comfort of their own homes. Many such cases have been recorded in the past, and we continue to hear about them on a regular basis. WhatsApp revealed details on the accounts it has banned in the country, the number of reports received, and the action taken against those accounts in its Monthly India Report for this month.
According to the research, between July 1 and July 31, WhatsApp banned more than 72 lakh accounts in India. All of these fraudulent accounts were blocked in order to combat the country’s escalating cases of online frauds. According to the business, 3,108,000 of the 7,228,000 banned WhatsApp accounts were banned before users reported them.
“We are an industry leader in preventing and combating abuse among end-to-end encrypted messaging services.” In addition to our safety measures and controls, we employ a team of engineers, data scientists, analysts, researchers, and specialists in law enforcement, online safety, and technology development to oversee these efforts,” the business said in the study, according to a TOI article.
The Meta-owned platform also stated that users can ‘block contacts and report harmful content’ as well as contact them from within the app. “We pay close attention to user feedback and collaborate with experts in combating misinformation, promoting cybersecurity, and ensuring election integrity,” the business added. WhatsApp advised users in May of this year to block and report suspicious calls so that appropriate action might be undertaken against them.
“Blocking and Reporting suspicious messages/calls is an important step to effectively combat scams,” a WhatsApp spokesperson said in a statement. “When users receive calls from unknown international or domestic phone numbers, WhatsApp provides a convenient way to block and report suspicious accounts. It is essential that you report these accounts to WhatsApp so that we can take appropriate action and ban them from the platform. Users can also use our privacy controls to manage who sees their personal information and online presence. Keeping your personal information exposed solely to your contacts will help protect your account from criminal actors.”
In terms of scams, some WhatsApp users have reported receiving calls from unknown numbers in countries such as Ethiopia (+251), Malaysia (+60), Indonesia (+62), Kenya (+254), Vietnam (+84), and others. Users have also reported receiving messages attempting to entice them with appealing part-time work opportunities, as well as video calls from unfamiliar numbers. It should be remembered that a call from an international number does not imply that the person making the call is in another country. WhatsApp calls are relayed through the internet, and anyone can call you from an international number, even if they are in the same city as you.