WhatsApp faces rising spam risks and erroneous account bans

WhatsApp users in Indonesia and globally are facing two distinct digital challenges: rising spam prevalence and erroneous account suspensions.

Spam activity on the platform has increased significantly, with reports indicating that 1 in 10 messages may contain harmful content, such as phishing links or inappropriate material. In Indonesia, cybercrime losses related to WhatsApp scams reached Rp 9.1 trillion between November 2024 and January 2026. Scammers often use automated scraping methods to collect active numbers from social media and marketplaces to conduct mass messaging.

Simultaneously, Meta has acknowledged that its detection systems have mistakenly blocked various user accounts. Esther Samboh, WhatsApp's Head of Policy for Asia Pacific, stated that the company is working on recovery processes. Users whose accounts have been suspended can request a review directly within the application, with Meta committing to review these appeals in less than 24 hours.