WhatsApp Scam Calls: Artificial Intelligence to be Used to Tackle the Menace

WhatsApp scam calls issue, after gaining significant attention across various platforms, has finally gained the attention of Meta. After innumerable complaints from users receiving calls from strange numbers from abroad, the platform has finally agreed to reduce the menace with the aid of new age technologies.

“Protecting the privacy and security of users is fundamental to Meta and to WhatsApp. Our users are at the heart of everything we do and we are fully aligned with the Government's goal of keeping users safe. WhatsApp is a leader among end-to-end encrypted services in protecting user safety,” said the official statement from WhatsApp.

Several users took to social media to state that they got scammed after responding to the missed calls out of curiosity. “We continue to provide several safety tools within WhatsApp like Block & Report, consistently build user safety education and awareness, as well as, proactively weed out bad-actors from our platform. However, bad actors find different ways to scam users. International scam calls is a new way that bad actors have recently adopted. By giving a missed call, they lead curious users to call or message back only to get scammed,” added WhatsApp on the issue.

The WhatsApp scam calls, which were largely untraceable, reportedly began with with the numbers +251 (Ethiopia), +60 (Malaysia), +62 (Indonesia), +254 (Kenya), and +84 (Vietnam). These calls might not have originated from the said countries as these international numbers may have been sold by agencies to scammers in the country. The calls were reportedly done with an intent to con users into sharing their personal data and banking details.

WhatsApp has committed to reducing the WhatsApp scam calls by at least 50 percent with the aid of  modern technologies. “We have quickly ramped up our AI & ML systems to bring down such incidents significantly. Our new enforcement will reduce the current calling rate by at least 50% and we expect to be able to control the current incidence effectively. We will continue to work relentlessly towards ensuring a safe experience for our users,” added the company.