Scams Se Bacho: Meta Launches Anti-Scam Awareness Drive Ahead Of Holiday Season

Meta has launched a worldwide campaign to help users stay online safe during the holiday season which is the busiest time of the year. This means also that scams are likely to increase as well as the number of fraudsters that try to get anything from personal details to money using all sorts of tricks. To address this problem, Meta has implemented new measures, provided security measures, and collaborated with public figures, NGOs, and creators to inform the public about how to protect themselves online.

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Why This Campaign Matters

The festive period is a time when people do a lot of online shopping and get involved in celebrations. However, it is also a period when scammers take the opportunity to target people in droves. Meta’s campaign aims at making sure that users do not become victims of such scams.

For example, people have been offering fake Christmas holiday coupons, claiming to give out Christmas gift boxes for free, and selling holiday decorations on dubious websites at ridiculously low prices. Such tactics almost always result in users providing sensitive information such as income levels, liabilities, and personal information.

Using data from Graphika researchers, Meta has already disrupted several. India, the US, and the UK are among the users targeted by some of the scams Meta has been able to interrupt successfully.

Security Updates Across Platforms

Meta is introducing new security protocols on its platforms to restrict scammers and offer users safety. These updates aim to bring more clarity and warn users of any questionable activities. Let's summarize the upcoming updates and changes that have surfaced:

• WhatsApp: A new context card feature gives more details about unknown users or other groups that message or add people to the groups.

• Instagram: They now have alerts notifying users, who accept follow requests, from suspicious accounts that are flagged for scamming.

• Facebook Marketplace: Users receive alerts for messages that are sounding and have the mushrooms of a common scam.

Meta has banned more than two million accounts related to scamming which belonged to countries like Cambodia, Myanmar and the United Arab Emirates just in 2024.

Read More: Be Aware of AI Voice-Cloning Scams

Scams Se Bacho Campaign In India

Meta’s anti-scam program, which in India is referred to as “Scams Se Bacho” and has Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana as its ambassador against scams, has some believable stories supported by music, including rehashing the famous blockbuster song “Oye Lucky Lucky Oye” having actor Abhay Deol, in which participation is sought to spread information on scams.

In addition, Meta has worked with local creators who speak nine Indian languages and tailor content to fit. This gets the information across to people who are allowed many races.

Collaboration between Government and Industries:

Meta is enhancing its Indian market reach by making vital critical partnerships- government ones, which aim to advance Ponzi schemes and also enhance cyber safety. Let’s take a closer look at the organisations involved:

• Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)

• Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C)

• Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB)

These partnerships are aimed at spreading the war on cyber fraud across the country and protecting users in the virtual political space.

Conclusion

Anti-scam has become a priority for Meta at the global level, and especially for its ‘Scams Se Bacho’ campaign in India it’s the need of the hour considering the upcoming festive season. With added features for security, educational materials and essential collaborations Meta wants to enable users to spot and steer clear of scams.

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