WhatsApp urges Indian users to report spam calls from international numbers

In response to complaints from several Indian users about receiving suspicious calls from unknown international numbers, WhatsApp has advised its users to block and report such accounts. India is home to WhatsApp’s largest user base with 487 million users. Many users have taken to social media to share screenshots of these audio and video calls from countries in Southeast Asia and Africa, with some reporting a significant increase in the frequency of these calls in recent days.

A government spokesperson confirmed that service providers have issued an advisory about these spam calls. In its statement to NDTV, the messaging platform recommended that users make use of the privacy controls on the app and safeguard their accounts by sharing personal details only with their contacts. WhatsApp also urged users to report suspicious accounts so that appropriate action can be taken, including banning them from the platform.

WhatsApp has been taking preventive actions to combat abuse on its platform, including banning 4.7 million accounts in March. The company has also launched a safety campaign to educate users about the tools available on the platform that can help protect them from online scams, frauds, and other threats.