WhatsApp audio, video calls ‘scam’: 46% Indian customers affected, says survey

A survey revealed that just about half (46%) of WhatsApp customers in India have been inundated with a barrage of audio or video calls from unfamiliar numbers. These calls predominantly originate from worldwide numbers and infrequently declare to offer easy duties corresponding to participating with YouTube movies by liking them.

In a survey performed by LocalCircles, a group social media platform, it was revealed {that a} staggering 86 per cent of people affected by these unsolicited calls have been receiving them persistently for the previous 30 days. Fraudsters have been utilising cellphone numbers related to varied international locations, together with Ethiopia, Malaysia, Kenya, Vietnam, and extra. More importantly, the nation code of those calls doesn’t essentially point out the precise origin of the calls.

The survey additionally indicated that among the many respondents, 59 per cent confirmed that almost all of those calls originate from worldwide numbers. Additionally, 23 per cent reported receiving rip-off calls from each home and worldwide numbers, with the home numbers comprising a smaller portion.

Indian authorities’s motion

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Union minister of state for the ministry of electronics and data expertise, has introduced that the federal government shall be issuing a proper discover to WhatsApp, a subsidiary of the Meta Group, relating to the regarding drawback of spam calls originating from unknown worldwide numbers. The minister emphasised that the accountability for safeguarding consumer security rests with the digital platform.

The survey additionally cited news company PTI report that mentioned the federal government is actively investigating the strategies employed to establish and acquire entry to those WhatsApp numbers.

What was Whatsapp’s response?

In response to the considerations raised by the federal government, Meta has issued a press release highlighting its ongoing “stay safe with WhatsApp” marketing campaign. This initiative goals to teach customers in regards to the platform’s inherent security options, together with two-step verification, block and report functionalities, in addition to privateness controls. The firm emphasises the significance of those instruments in selling consumer safety.

Furthermore, Meta assured that it has enhanced its synthetic intelligence (AI) and machine studying (ML) programs to successfully cut back such incidents. The firm additionally mentioned it’s dedicated to working carefully with the federal government and acknowledges the federal government’s current Sanchaar Saathi initiative, which recognized roughly 4 million cell numbers concerned in fraudulent actions.