Meta expands safety tools to safeguard older adults from online scams
Meta cautioned that scammers may pressure their targets to share their screen to trick people into giving away sensitive information, including bank details or verification codes.
Meta has announced new anti-scam features and awareness initiatives, including safety tools and tips to protect users, particularly senior citizens, from cyber fraud and online scams, as the social media giant stepped up efforts to help people stay safe online.
Meta said on WhatsApp that it is launching warnings when users attempt to share their screens with an unknown contact during a video call.
Meta cautioned that scammers may pressure their targets to share their screen to trick people into giving away sensitive information, including bank details or verification codes, and added, "With this new tool, we're giving users more context to spot and avoid scams."
On Messenger, Meta said it is testing more advanced scam detection in chats, which will warn users on receipt of a "potentially scammy message".
"When this is enabled and a new contact sends a potentially scammy message, users will be warned and given an option to send recent chat messages for AI scam review," it said.
If a potential scam is detected, users will get more information on common scams, and actions will be suggested, including blocking or reporting the suspicious account.
On Facebook, Messenger, and WhatsApp, users can set up 'Passkeys' to make it safer to sign in with the same fingerprint, face, or PIN they already use on their mobile device to verify their identity, it advised.
On Facebook and Instagram, users can use Security Checkup to review their security settings and get recommendations on security actions like updating their password.
On WhatsApp, 'Privacy Checkup' guides users through important privacy settings, such as deciding who can add them to groups. This helps them choose the right level of protection, all in one place.
Cross-border criminal networks continue to operate at scale globally and use sophisticated schemes to target people, including older adults, across many industries through messaging, dating apps, social media, crypto, and other apps, Meta observed.
"We continue to look for and block attempts by criminal syndicate-run scam centres to create accounts on our platforms," Meta said.
In the first half of 2025, Meta said its expert teams detected and disrupted about 8 million accounts associated with scam centres across Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, the United Arab Emirates, and the Philippines.
"In addition, we took action on over 21,000 pages and accounts pretending to be customer support in an attempt to trick people into sharing their information," it informed.