Which? responds to WhatsApp banning 6.8 million accounts linked to scammers

Lisa Webb, Which? Consumer Law Expert, said: 

“It’s positive that WhatsApp has shut down 6.8 million accounts linked to scammers so far this year, but Meta must do much more to stop these criminals across all its platforms. In 2023 alone, £341 million was lost to authorised push payment fraudsters - over half of those scams were reported as originating on Meta platforms. 

“For far too long, Meta has allowed scammers to run rampant across its platforms. Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp users are being inundated with fraudulent ads for everything from fake investment opportunities to dodgy products and non-existent job offers. 

“Meta needs to ensure that scams are prevented from ever appearing on its platforms in the first place. Ofcom must now take action to enforce the parts of the Online Safety Act already in effect, and to issue robust rules governing fraudulent paid-for ads, so that tech firms are forced to take full responsibility for the content on their sites.”

-ENDS-