Meta has shut down 176,000 WhatsApp accounts registered on recycled mobile phone numbers following a request from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), as authorities move to tackle cyber fraud involving inactive and cancelled numbers.
According to PTA officials, complaints had emerged about cybercriminals using WhatsApp accounts linked to inactive or cancelled mobile numbers to carry out fraudulent activities. The authority approached Meta to address the issue and prevent the misuse of recycled numbers.
Telecom operators currently hold around 16 million recycled mobile numbers. The PTA had initially shared details of 10 million such numbers with Meta to identify and deactivate WhatsApp accounts still operating on them.
Following discussions between the two sides, the PTA and Meta have also agreed on a mechanism to regularly identify and shut down accounts associated with recycled mobile numbers.
Under the agreed arrangement, the PTA will send details of 5,000 recycled mobile numbers to Meta every month. WhatsApp accounts linked to these numbers will then be reviewed and deactivated in phases.
The initiative is aimed at preventing fraudsters from exploiting mobile numbers that have been disconnected from their original users and subsequently reassigned to new subscribers.
PTA officials said the collaboration was part of broader efforts to strengthen digital security and protect mobile users from online scams.
The authority also shared that Meta had resolved 82 per cent of the complaints it received through the PTA last year, reflecting cooperation between the regulator and the social media company in addressing issues related to digital platforms.
