WhatsApp curbs international spam calls in India after govt’s tough call

In response to the Indian government’s announcement of its intent to send a notice to the platform over the escalating threat of international scam calls, WhatsApp, owned by Meta, declared on Thursday that it has taken decisive measures to address this issue.

With over 500 million users in India, the platform has leveraged its advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) systems to significantly reduce such incidents.

“Our latest enforcement initiatives will slash the current call frequency by a minimum of 50%, and we anticipate successfully managing the current occurrence. We will persist in our tireless efforts to ensure our users enjoy a secure experience,” asserted a spokesperson for the company in a statement.

Earlier today, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Minister of State for Electronics and IT, affirmed that the IT Ministry will dispatch a notice to WhatsApp regarding the problem of spam calls originating from unknown international numbers. He emphasized that social media platforms bear the responsibility of ensuring users’ safety and trust.

The influx of spam calls, originating mostly from African and Southeast Asian countries, and the deluge of false messages from unfamiliar sources, have inundated Indian WhatsApp users.

Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Ethiopia are some of the countries that have been detected as the sources of spam calls with country codes appearing on WhatsApp. Notably, these calls often begin with +251 (Ethiopia), +62 (Indonesia), +254 (Kenya), +84 (Vietnam), and other similar codes.

According to WhatsApp, scammers have devised this novel method of scamming through international calls. They lure unsuspecting users by placing missed calls, prompting the recipients to initiate contact or respond with a message, only to fall prey to the scam.

The spokesperson for WhatsApp clarified that, while the platform continues to provide safety measures such as “Block and Report” and user safety education, the company proactively expunges bad actors from its platform. Despite this, these scammers persist in their fraudulent activities, requiring vigilance and caution from users.