WhatsApp has launched new security features to improve user protection against scams on its messaging platform. In the first half of 2025, the company suspended over 6.8 million accounts connected to fraudulent activity worldwide.
A key update is the “Safety Overview” prompt that appears when someone adds you to a group and they are not in your contacts. This shows information such as the inviter’s identity, group size, creation date, and whether any members are known contacts.
Users receive guidance on avoiding scams and can choose to leave quietly. Notifications from such groups remain muted until users confirm participation.
For individual chats, WhatsApp is testing alerts that provide extra context when starting conversations with unknown people, such as profile details and approximate location. This aims to prevent scams where fraudsters first contact victims on other platforms before switching to WhatsApp.
WhatsApp also collaborated with OpenAI to disrupt a major scam operation based in Cambodia. The scammers used ChatGPT to create misleading messages linking victims to fake investment schemes, pyramid scooter rentals, and cryptocurrency fraud. Victims were asked to perform tasks on Telegram before being prompted to deposit funds into bogus crypto accounts.
“As OpenAI reported, the scammers used ChatGPT to generate the initial text message containing a link to a WhatsApp chat, and then quickly directed the target to Telegram, where they were assigned a task of liking videos on TikTok,” WhatsApp stated.
To stay safe, WhatsApp advises users to pause before replying, question the legitimacy of requests, and verify identities through other communication methods if claims are made by supposed friends or family. Reviewing privacy settings, controlling group invitations, and enabling two-step verification are also recommended.