WhatsApp bans 9,400 scam accounts, to roll out SIM binding
New Delhi: More than 9,400 accounts linked to digital arrest scams and law enforcement impersonation in India have been banned by WhatsApp over a 12-week period beginning January this year. The action was taken by Meta-owned WhatsApp in coordination with government agencies.
This was informed by Attorney General R Venkataramani through submissions made before the Supreme Court in a case pertaining to digital arrest scams.
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WhatsApp's probe also yielded key intelligence on how these scams operate. The company found that most accounts targeting Indian users were being operated from scam centres in Southeast Asia, particularly Cambodia.
Fraudsters frequently used display names such as "Delhi Police", "Mumbai HQ", "CBI", and "ATS Department", along with official-looking logos as profile pictures, to create a false sense of authority.
The company submitted that it has deployed new enforcement tools to tackle the scammers. It further stated that the action followed a dedicated investigation launched in response to inputs from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and the Department of Telecommunications.
The company underscored that its approach goes beyond acting on isolated complaints.
To Roll Out SIM Binding
WhatsApp also agreed to implement Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) binding, according to a status report filed in the SC by the I4C.
The company said it would comply with provisions of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, including requirements on identifying and labelling synthetically generated content often used in video calls linked to digital arrest scams.
WhatsApp also committed to sharing aggregate enforcement data and typology intelligence at regular intervals, within legal and privacy limits, while accelerating deployment of product safeguards and strengthening collaboration with government authorities.
This was informed by Attorney General R Venkataramani through submissions made before the Supreme Court in a case pertaining to digital arrest scams.
Also Read: India industrial output at 4.1%, hit by Iran war
WhatsApp's probe also yielded key intelligence on how these scams operate. The company found that most accounts targeting Indian users were being operated from scam centres in Southeast Asia, particularly Cambodia.
Fraudsters frequently used display names such as "Delhi Police", "Mumbai HQ", "CBI", and "ATS Department", along with official-looking logos as profile pictures, to create a false sense of authority.
The company submitted that it has deployed new enforcement tools to tackle the scammers. It further stated that the action followed a dedicated investigation launched in response to inputs from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and the Department of Telecommunications.
The company underscored that its approach goes beyond acting on isolated complaints.
To Roll Out SIM Binding
WhatsApp also agreed to implement Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) binding, according to a status report filed in the SC by the I4C.
The company said it would comply with provisions of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, including requirements on identifying and labelling synthetically generated content often used in video calls linked to digital arrest scams.
WhatsApp also committed to sharing aggregate enforcement data and typology intelligence at regular intervals, within legal and privacy limits, while accelerating deployment of product safeguards and strengthening collaboration with government authorities.
