Social media company Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has launched a global campaign to raise awareness about scams during the holiday shopping season.
On Monday, Meta announced that it had removed more than two million accounts linked to scam operations in countries like Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, the UAE, and the Philippines this year.
The company also revealed its efforts in combating phishing schemes, noting that it has taken down 15,000 phishing URLs in Vietnam and 9,000 in Singapore in 2024 alone.
“Scammers constantly evolve their tactics to evade detection and rarely target one single platform,” Meta said in a statement, explaining the challenges of identifying and tackling these fraud schemes.
Meta partnered with cybersecurity firm Graphika to identify major scams targeting holiday shoppers. These include fake Christmas gift box offers, fraudulent holiday decoration sales, and counterfeit retail coupons. Many scammers now use advanced tools like AI-generated voiceovers and fake customer reviews to trick people.
To educate users on avoiding scams, Meta has teamed up with Rachel Tobac, an internet safety expert and ethical hacker. The company is also expanding its Fraud Intelligence Reciprocal Exchange program, initially launched in the UK and Australia, to include banks globally. This program helps share information about scam activities between Meta platforms and financial institutions.
Meta emphasized the importance of vigilance during the holidays, urging users to verify offers and report suspicious activities on its platforms.
