Scammers often exploit holidays and events to deceive individuals. In anticipation of Valentine's Day, a global anti-scam awareness campaign is underway to protect online users. The focus is on romance scams, where scammers use various platforms like dating apps and social media to pose as attractive individuals with the intent of defrauding people.
Meta has introduced several tools across its platforms—Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram—to combat these scams. These include automated systems that remove malicious accounts and warnings for users interacting with suspicious profiles. On Facebook Messenger, Safety Notices alert users about potentially fraudulent contacts, while WhatsApp allows users to silence calls from unknown numbers.
Collaboration with law enforcement and industries is crucial in fighting scams. Meta has joined the Safer Internet India coalition to address online safety challenges through cross-industry collaboration. Shivnath Thukral, Vice President and Head of Public Policy at Meta India, stated: “Online scams and fraudulent activity are serious issues especially as more and more people come online... We’re confident that this initiative will help multiply our collective anti-scam efforts.”
In 2024, over 408,000 accounts linked to romance scams were removed from various countries including Nigeria and Ghana. This year saw the removal of over 116,000 similar accounts primarily in Africa. Additionally, facial recognition technology is being tested as an extra layer of defense against imposter accounts.
