Cybercrime Meta Launches New Protection Tools as It Helps Disrupt Scam Centers The social media giant has disabled more than 150,000 accounts powering scam centers in Asia. By Eduard Kovacs | March 12, 2026 (9:17 AM ET) Flipboard Reddit Whatsapp Whatsapp Email Meta on Wednesday announced a major operation conducted in collaboration with law enforcement to disrupt scam centers targeting its users. The operation involved the FBI, the DOJ Scam Center Strike Force, and police in Thailand, and targeted scam centers in Southeast Asia. According to the social media giant, the scam centers targeted users in the US, UK, and the APAC region. Thai Police arrested 21 suspects and Meta shut down more than 150,000 accounts leveraged by the scam centers. In a similar operation conducted in December the company removed 59,000 accounts, pages, and groups across its platforms. Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading. In addition to directly targeting these scam centers, Meta said it removed more than 159 million fraudulent ads in 2025. Meta also announced several new anti-scam tools on Wednesday. One of them warns WhatsApp users of potentially malicious device-linking attempts, which scammers leverage to trick users into linking the attacker’s device to the victim’s account. The company also unveiled a feature designed to protect Facebook users by alerting them to suspicious friend requests (both sent and received). The alerts are triggered by indicators such as a lack of mutual friends, a recently created profile, and location differences. For Messenger, the social media giant announced an advanced detection system that flags potential scams. The company says it has been using AI to detect scams impersonating brands, celebrities, and public figures, as well as deceptive links and fake domains. Related : WhatsApp Takes Down 6.8 Million Accounts Linked to Criminal Scam Centers, Meta Says Related : Researcher Spotlights WhatsApp Metadata Leak as Meta Begins Rolling Out Fixes Related : Meta Paid Out $4 Million via Bug Bounty Program in 2025 Written By Eduard Kovacs Eduard Kovacs (@EduardKovacs) is senior managing editor at SecurityWeek. He worked as a high school IT teacher before starting a career in journalism in 2011. Eduard holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial informatics and a master’s degree in computer techniques applied in electrical engineering. More from Eduard Kovacs Wiz Joins Google Cloud as Landmark Acquisition Closes OpenAI to Acquire AI Security Startup Promptfoo Michelin Confirms Data Breach Linked to Oracle EBS Attack ICS Patch Tuesday: Vulnerabilities Fixed by Siemens, Schneider, Moxa, Mitsubishi Electric Jazz Emerges From Stealth With $61M in Funding for AI-Powered DLP Kai Emerges From Stealth With $125M in Funding for AI Platform Bridging IT and OT Security Thousands Affected by Ericsson Data Breach OpenAI Rolls Out Codex Security Vulnerability Scanner Latest News Ally WordPress Plugin Flaw Exposes Over 200,000 Websites to Attacks The Human IOC: Why Security Professionals Struggle with Social Vetting Splunk, Zoom Patch Severe Vulnerabilities Cisco Patches High-Severity IOS XR Vulnerabilities Critical N8n Vulnerabilities Allowed Server Takeover Polyfill Supply Chain Attack Impacting 100k Sites Linked to North Korea Senate Confirms Joshua Rudd to Lead NSA and US Cyber Command MedTech Giant Stryker Crippled by Iran-Linked Hacker Attack Trending Daily Briefing Newsletter Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts. Webinar: Securing Fragile OT in an Exposed World March 10, 2026 Get a candid look at the current OT threat landscape as we move past "doom and gloom" to discuss the mechanics of modern OT exposure. Register Virtual Event: Supply Chain Security and Third-Party Risk Summit March 18, 2026 Join the event where top security experts unpack the biggest software supply chain risks. Register People on the Move Business software company Rippling as appointed Adrian Ludwig as CSO. Orca Security has named Rachel Nislick as Chief Marketing Officer. Netskope has appointed Joseph Welsh as leader of US public sector sales. More People On The Move Expert Insights The Human IOC: Why Security Professionals Struggle with Social Vetting Applying SOC-level rigor to the rumors, politics, and 'human intel' can make or break a security team. (Joshua Goldfarb) How to 10x Your Vulnerability Management Program in the Agentic Era The evolution of vulnerability management in the agentic era is characterized by continuous telemetry, contextual prioritization and the ultimate goal of agentic remediation. (Nadir Izrael) SIM Swaps Expose a Critical Flaw in Identity Security SIM swap attacks exploit misplaced trust in phone numbers and human processes to bypass authentication controls and seize high-value accounts. (Torsten George) Four Risks Boards Cannot Treat as Background Noise The goal isn’t about preventing every attack but about keeping the business running when attacks succeed. (Steve Durbin) How to Eliminate the Technical Debt of Insecure AI-Assisted Software Development Developers must view AI as a collaborator to be closely monitored, rather than an autonomous entity to be unleashed. Without such a mindset, crippling tech debt is inevitable. (Matias Madou) Flipboard Reddit Whatsapp Whatsapp Email