WhatsApp has been instructed to ban accounts that are involved in fraudulent activity by the Indian authorities. In India, more than 36 lakh accounts have previously been blocked for the same reason.
The number of reports of Indians receiving fraudulent calls over WhatsApp is rising daily. People have reported receiving voice and video calls from arbitrary foreign numbers. Con artists are using these calls to prey on the defenseless. The Indian government has requested that WhatsApp block any accounts that are involved in fraudulent activity in order to combat these fake numbers.
During the Sanchar Saathi website’s debut, Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that over 36 lakh WhatsApp accounts had been blocked in India and that the business is working with authorities to protect users’ safety.
WhatsApp blocks accounts after Government’s Intervention
The government’s attempts to stop the increase in WhatsApp call scam instances in the nation were brought up during the launch, and Union telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was questioned about them.
He said, “We have actively engaged WhatsApp and they have agreed that consumer safety is extremely essential. As a result of fraud detection, all OTT platforms are actively collaborating to deregister the users.
Additionally, he mentioned that WhatsApp accounts belonging to up to 36 lakh disconnected phone numbers for fraud have also been terminated.
In a statement, WhatsApp thanked the minister for appreciating their efforts to ensure customer safety.
Their official statement read , “We are grateful for the minister’s acknowledgment of WhatsApp’s continuous commitment to user safety. We have been actively engaging with the government to consistently ensure a safe and secure user experience, including weeding out bad-actors from the platform.”
WhatsApp issues notification for reporting Suspicious Calls
Prior to now, WhatsApp has requested that users block and report questionable calls in order to take proper action against them.
In a statement, a WhatsApp spokesperson said that blocking and reporting suspicious messages and calls is a crucial step in effectively combating scams. WhatsApp also offers users a convenient way to block and report suspicious accounts. Users receiving calls from ominous local or international phone numbers, can use this feature to block them. It’s crucial to alert WhatsApp about these accounts so that we can take appropriate action and block them from the service. By using our privacy controls, users may also decide who has access to their personal information and online appearance. Keeping your personal information hidden from anybody except your contacts might help protect your account from malicious users.
About the rising Scams
Speaking about the con that targets individuals, a number of WhatsApp users reported receiving calls from following international locations:
- Ethiopia (+251)
- Malaysia (+60)
- Indonesia (+62)
- Kenya (+254)
- Vietnam (+84)
Additionally, several users mentioned receiving messages that offer them easy part-time work. The message sender will try all sorts of trick, including engaging user in a video conversation.
It should be remembered that just because a call came from an international number doesn’t always indicate the caller was in another country at the time. Calls made using WhatsApp can be made by anybody. The caller can be in the same city as you. It may be noted that the WhatsApp calls are carried through the internet.