PTA, Meta Block 176,000 WhatsApp Accounts Over Fraud

ISLAMABAD: (Web Desk) – The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), in collaboration with Meta, has blocked 176,000 WhatsApp accounts linked to recycled mobile numbers in a move aimed at protecting users from online fraud.

According to the PTA, the action followed complaints that fraudsters were exploiting data associated with inactive or cancelled SIM cards to carry out scams through WhatsApp.

The regulator has shared a list of approximately 10 million recycled mobile numbers with Meta to help identify accounts linked to these numbers and block suspicious or unrelated accounts.

The two organisations have also agreed to exchange a list of 5,000 recycled mobile numbers every month to strengthen efforts against cybercrime.

Telecom companies in Pakistan currently hold around 16 million recycled mobile numbers.

The PTA warned that WhatsApp accounts may remain active even after the original SIM card has been cancelled. Such accounts could potentially be misused by a new user assigned the same number or by cybercriminals.

The authority further revealed that Meta had acted on 82 per cent of complaints referred by the regulator over the past year, resolving the reported issues promptly.

The initiative is aimed at strengthening digital security, protecting users from financial and online fraud, and preventing the misuse of mobile numbers reassigned to new subscribers.