Meta adds new anti-scam tools to WhatsApp, Facebook, and Messenger
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Meta is rolling out new anti-scam protections across WhatsApp, Facebook, and Messenger as it tries to stop fraud before users hand over money, account access, or personal information. The update adds new warnings for suspicious WhatsApp device-linking attempts, tests scam alerts for risky Facebook friend requests, and expands Messenger’s scam-detection systems in more countries.
The move comes as messaging and social scams grow more targeted. Meta says scammers increasingly impersonate trusted people, brands, and services, and often rely on account-linking tricks, fake job offers, romance lures, and bogus investment pitches. In 2025 alone, the company says it removed more than 159 million scam ads and took down 10.9 million Facebook and Instagram accounts tied to criminal scam centers.
One of the most notable changes lands in WhatsApp. Meta says the app will now show warnings when behavioral signals suggest a device-linking request may be fraudulent. That matters because scammers can trick people into sharing a linking code or scanning a malicious QR code, which can silently connect the victim’s WhatsApp account to the attacker’s device.
The timing also fits a broader threat trend. Dutch intelligence agencies AIVD and MIVD warned on March 9 that Russian state hackers have been running a large-scale campaign to gain access to Signal and WhatsApp accounts belonging to government workers, military personnel, journalists, and other targets of interest.
What Meta is adding
| Platform | New protection | What it is meant to stop |
|---|---|---|
| Device-linking warnings | Account hijacking through QR codes or linking codes | |
| Suspicious friend request alerts | Impersonation and scam outreach from questionable accounts | |
| Messenger | Expanded scam detection and AI review options | Fake jobs, payment fraud, and other chat-based scams |
| Meta platforms broadly | AI analysis of text, images, and context | Celebrity impersonation, brand spoofing, and deceptive links |
These features are designed to flag scams earlier in the attack chain, before a user completes a risky action. Meta says its systems now look at signals such as account behavior, profile anomalies, message patterns, and deceptive links that redirect users to fake websites.
Why WhatsApp device linking matters
WhatsApp lets people connect extra devices such as laptops, tablets, and secondary phones to the same account. That feature is useful, but it also creates an opening for scammers. If an attacker convinces a victim to approve a malicious linking request, the attacker can read chats and potentially send messages as that person while the real owner still sees the account working normally.
That makes this kind of fraud harder to detect than a standard account takeover. The victim may not immediately realize that someone else has attached a second device and gained ongoing visibility into messages. Dutch officials warned that this exact style of messaging-app phishing is now part of a broader state-backed campaign.
Meta’s broader anti-scam push
Meta says it is also using AI systems to analyze text, images, and contextual signals to spot celebrity impersonation, fake brand pages, and deceptive links. The company framed the update as part of a larger effort to disrupt “industrialized scamming,” not just individual fake accounts.
The company also said it worked with global law enforcement in an operation that led to 21 arrests and the disabling of more than 150,000 accounts linked to scam networks in Southeast Asia. Meta says the operation involved the Royal Thai Police Anti-Cyber Scam Center, the FBI, the U.S. Justice Department’s Scam Center Strike Force, and agencies from multiple other countries.
2025 scam enforcement by the numbers
- More than 159 million scam ads removed by Meta in 2025.
- 10.9 million Facebook and Instagram accounts tied to criminal scam centers taken down in 2025.
- More than 150,000 accounts disabled in the latest Southeast Asia scam-network crackdown.
- 21 suspects arrested in that coordinated law-enforcement operation.
What users should do
- Treat unexpected WhatsApp linking prompts as suspicious.
- Never share a device-linking code with anyone.
- Do not scan a QR code unless you started the linking process yourself.
- Be cautious with Facebook friend requests that have few mutual connections or odd location details.
- Use in-app reporting tools when Messenger chats look like fake jobs, investment scams, or urgent payment requests.
FAQ
Meta says WhatsApp will now warn users when signals suggest a device-linking request may be fraudulent.
If a scammer tricks you into linking your account to their device, they may gain access to your messages without fully locking you out of the account.
Meta says it is testing alerts for suspicious friend requests, including cases where the account has few mutual connections or a location that does not match the user’s region.
Meta says Messenger’s anti-scam detection will expand to more countries and can identify patterns linked to common fraud schemes such as fake job offers.
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