Meta has disabled nearly seven million WhatsApp accounts in the first half of this year as part of a growing effort to protect users from online scams driven by organized criminal groups, the company said on Tuesday.

Clair Deevy, WhatsApp’s director of external affairs, said the accounts were detected and blocked before they could be used to carry out fraud.

“Our team identified the accounts and disabled them before the criminal organizations that created them could use them,” she said during a briefing.

Most of the flagged accounts were traced to scam networks operating in Southeast Asia, with many targeting users through fake investment offers and other fraudulent schemes.

“There is always a catch and it should be a red flag for everyone: you have to pay upfront to get promised returns or earnings,” WhatsApp said in a blog post.

The tech company said the scams often disguise themselves as cryptocurrency investments or pyramid schemes, tricking victims into parting with money under the illusion of guaranteed profits.

Meta, which owns WhatsApp, said it worked with artificial intelligence firm OpenAI to stop one of the schemes that was being run from Cambodia.

According to the companies, the scammers used ChatGPT to create text messages that included links directing victims to WhatsApp conversations where the fraud would unfold.

In a fresh move to limit the spread of such scams, Meta on Tuesday rolled out new features on WhatsApp to help users stay alert. One of the features prompts users to be cautious when they are added to unfamiliar group chats by people they do not know.

Another feature, called a "safety overview," gives users details about a group, guidance on how to identify scams, and an option to quickly exit suspicious chats.

“We’ve all been there: someone you don’t know attempting to message you, or add you to a group chat, promising low-risk investment opportunities or easy money, or saying you have an unpaid bill that’s overdue,” Meta said in the blog post.

“The reality is, these are often scammers trying to prey on people’s kindness, trust and willingness to help , or, their fears that they could be in trouble if they don’t send money fast.”

Meta says the company is continuing to refine its tools and partnerships in the fight against digital scams that are increasingly relying on automation and artificial intelligence to reach and manipulate victims.