Meta has removed over 2 million fraudulent accounts –

Meta (the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) has announced that it has removed more than 2 million accounts linked to fraud and human trafficking from its platforms this year. The criminal organizations operating the scams, which operate primarily in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines, use the so-called “pig butchering” method.

The essence of this scam is that criminals connect with their victims online, gain their trust, and then trick them with fake investments or other financial scams.

Criminals often ask victims to deposit money, often in the form of cryptocurrencies, while making it look like real, safe investments. Victims can withdraw a small profit, but when they refuse to pay any more, the scammers disappear with the money. In addition, in many cases the perpetrators are themselves victims, who are forced by other criminal organizations to con others.

For two years now, Meta has been working to detect and eliminate these scams, working with other technology companies, NGOs and local authorities. The company has recently introduced alerts on Messenger and Instagram to warn users of suspicious messages, and is implementing enhanced security measures such as two-factor authentication and facial recognition.