Cybercrime in India Surges 206% in 2024, WhatsApp Fights Back
Cybercrime in India has surged drastically. In 2024, fraudsters swindled Rs 22,845.73 crore, a staggering 206% increase from the previous year. Meanwhile, tech giants like WhatsApp are fighting back, taking down millions of accounts linked to scam centers.
The alarming rise in cyber fraud has seen criminals employing multiple platforms - text messages, social media, and payment apps - to evade detection. In the first half of 2024 alone, WhatsApp removed 6.8 million accounts connected to these scam centers. This figure is set to rise, with over 6.8 million accounts globally targeted in the first half of 2025.
Scams are evolving, becoming more enticing and deceptive. Consumers are lured with too-good-to-be-true offers and unsolicited messages, putting their personal information and money at risk. Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, has joined forces with OpenAI to disrupt these campaigns across its apps and others.
The increasing sophistication of scams demands robust action. WhatsApp's account takedowns are a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to protect consumers. Awareness campaigns and stricter regulations could help combat this growing threat.
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