Meta Explains How Users Can Handle Spam International Calls on WhatsApp

The messaging platform WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta, has become a new tool for duping people. With over two billion active monthly users, WhatsApp has become a popular platform for scams. Recently, users in India have reported receiving missed calls from unknown international numbers.

Media reports suggest that spam calls with international numbers, mostly from African and Southeast Asian countries, along with fake messages from unknown users, have flooded WhatsApp. Several WhatsApp users have taken to Twitter to share their complaints and grievances, posting screenshots of their call records.

Earlier in the day, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the ministry is taking cognizance of the matter and will send a notice to WhatsApp on the issue. ''The IT Ministry will send a notice to WhatsApp on the issue of spam calls from unknown international numbers, stressing that social media platforms are responsible for ensuring the safety and trust of users,'' he said.

In response to these concerns, Meta-owned WhatsApp has issued a statement advising users to block and report these accounts immediately.

In response to the Government of India on International scam calls, a WhatsApp spokesperson said''WhatsApp is a leader among end-to-end encrypted services in protecting user safety. We continue to provide several safety tools within WhatsApp like Block & Report, consistently build user safety education & 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.''

''Therefore, 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,'' the spokesperson further said.