WhatsApp scams: 1 crore Indian accounts banned per month; government flags cyberfraud concerns

Government has begun discussions with WhatsApp after the messaging app banned a high number of Indian accounts, raising concerns over the continued misuse of Indian mobile numbers for online fraud. According to people familiar with the matter, WhatsApp has been blocking an average of 9.8 million Indian accounts every month until October this year for violations of its policies. While the Meta-owned platform publishes monthly figures on such actions, authorities said that the absence of details about the mobile numbers linked to these accounts is making it harder to track spam, scams and cyber fraud, ET reported citing officials.Accounts banned by WhatsApp this year

Source: WhatsApp monthly reports, cited by ET

India is WhatsApp’s largest market, and officials said the platform’s refusal to share even basic information about banned numbers is limiting the government’s ability to verify whether those numbers are genuine or fraudulently obtained. WhatsApp categorises Indian accounts using the +91 country code and said that its bans are triggered by behavioural signals that indicate policy breaches, including suspected involvement in scams.

Government officials noted that banned numbers frequently reappear on other over-the-top (OTT) platforms, particularly Telegram, where they continue to be used for fraudulent activities. The wider misuse of Indian mobile numbers, by actors both within the country and abroad, remains a serious challenge, despite multiple enforcement measures. In most cases, fraudsters operate through OTT messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram.

Once an account is created using a mobile number, these apps can function without a SIM card, making it extremely difficult for enforcement agencies to trace offenders, officials said. They added that about 95% of digital arrest and impersonation cases are carried out on WhatsApp. “There are concerns around how Indian numbers are being used (by fraudsters) and we are addressing those issues,” one official was quoted by ET as saying. “We have to balance convenience against security implications.” Officials said tracing when a SIM card was issued and verifying whether the know-your-customer (KYC) details linked to it are genuine or fake is central to curbing such fraud. “We are talking to WhatsApp and other OTTs as to how to deal with this problem,” the official added. Separately, the government routinely asks WhatsApp and other digital platforms to block accounts found to be involved in scams or illegal activities.

Data from the Department of Telecommunications shows that nearly 2.9 million WhatsApp profiles and groups were disengaged following government directions until November this year. While authorities are informed about accounts removed on official instructions, they say there is little visibility when WhatsApp independently bans accounts. The platform discloses only aggregate numbers in its reports, without specifying which mobile numbers have been disabled. “As WhatsApp does not coordinate with respective authorities concerning the banned accounts, there is no clarity as to what numbers have been banned,” another official said. “We don’t want any private details of the person, just the numbers which have been banned, so that it can be checked if the number is genuine or not.” Rakesh Maheshwari, former senior director at the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), said the purpose of monthly compliance reports was to improve platform accountability.

“The whole intent of initiating this monthly compliance report and sharing it with the public was meant to bring in transparency and accountability of the platforms,” he said. “Now, if there are certain revelations which require deeper introspection, the government has further right to seek more information.

” WhatsApp has said that because its service is protected by end-to-end encryption, account enforcement relies on platform-specific behavioural indicators. It has also cited technical, legal and cross-border challenges in sharing detailed account information. “There are a number of aspects concerning banning of accounts and not all are security aspects. Some of them are based on complaints. However, sometimes they refuse to share details, which is a security concern,” a third official said.