Meta shuts down 150,000 accounts in scam blitz
Make us a preferred source
Make us a preferred source on Google
The news: Meta has disabled 150,000 accounts as part of a concerted strike against scams and organised online crime, leading to 21 arrests.
Coordinating with international law enforcement, Meta targeted scam centres in a sting spanning the Asia-Pacific region, US and UK, the social meta giant announced in a statement.
Thai Royal Police arrested 21 individuals in the coordinated campaign between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice’s Scam Center Strike Force, as part of the second operation since December to disrupt online crime networks.
Meta said its evolving operations leveraged information sharing across jurisdictions and organisations to target increasingly sophisticated and industrialised criminal enterprises, concentrated in South-East Asian countries like Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.
This operation involved organisations across more than 10 countries including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Indonesia, Japan and Korea, and involved rival messaging app LINE. In December the coalition removed 59,000 accounts, pages and groups from Meta’s platforms, and issued six arrest warrants.
As part of the initiative, Meta also unveiled new tools on its platforms, including push alerts on suspicious new friend alerts on Facebook, flagging suspect links on WhatsApp, and the option to screen possible scam activity with AI on Messenger.
What they said: “This operation is a testament to how sharing information and coordinating our efforts can make real progress in disrupting this criminal activity at its source,” said Chris Sonderby, deputy general counsel at Meta. “Our work to combat scams is never done, and we will continue to invest in technology and partnerships to stay ahead of these adversaries.”
“The Australian Federal Police is proud to support and participate in the joint disruption week with Royal Thai Police, tech industry partners, and international law enforcement,” AFP detective superintendent Kristie Cressy said.
“Scam centres and criminal syndicates prey on victims around the world. We work tirelessly with our international partners to disrupt these groups.”
The context: Meta has been under increasing pressure to intervene on scams and fraud activity facilitated on its platforms. This year Australian banks have repeatedly urged Meta to shut down the illegal trade of Australian bank accounts on Facebook.
The source: Meta Announcement
