Meta-owned WhatsApp has banned 9,400 accounts in India for involvement in digital arrest scams since January 2026, as part of a coordinated regulatory crackdown. The action, disclosed in a recent status report presented by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to the Supreme Court, follows sustained policy pressure amid a surge in online fraud cases targeting Indian users.

As per a LiveLaw report, the enforcement move is part of a wider government initiative involving the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), law enforcement, and digital platforms to address sophisticated financial cybercrime. Actions taken thus far include faster SIM blocking, biometric verification systems and platform-level safeguards by WhatsApp.

“This investigation followed a rigorous methodology: identify seed signals, map networks, enforce against the entire network and build scaled automated defences,” the status report said.

WhatsApp’s actions included a structured investigation process beginning in January, identifying scam networks and deploying new automated defences, such as logo detection and caller warning systems, to make impersonation-based attacks harder to execute. The messaging platform revealed that out of the 3,800 scam-related accounts that were flagged under Section 79 of the IT Act, only 17 were related to digital arrest scams. However, it broadened its investigation beyond inputs received from authorities, leading to 9,400 account bans.

As per the status report, the platform said that most of these impersonation scams originated from centres in Southeast Asia, specifically Cambodia. They were run through clusters of accounts and groups that often had common names, reused media and coordinated behaviour.

WhatsApp also said it is working on implementing SIM binding in compliance with a DoT circular issued in November last year, which mandated online messaging platforms to enforce mandatory SIM binding for all users. The Centre has now pushed the deadline for the new rule to the end of the ongoing year. As per WhatsApp, the full roll out of its SIM binding feature will take place in the next four to six months.

The status report also said that WhatsApp will examine introducing additional user protection features similar to those on Skype, strengthen detection of malicious APK files, and propose safeguards to address prolonged scam calls.

At the same time, authorities are accelerating implementation of multiple digital security layers. The DoT is driving toward a national biometric identity verification system (BIVS) for SIM card issuance, with a compliance deadline set for December 2026. The rollout also includes SIM-binding requirement, mandating that only KYC-verified SIMs physically present in devices can access the platform — a move intended to sharply limit the use of fraudulent or ‘mule’ SIM cards in cybercrimes. Telecom service providers have committed to blocking suspicious SIMs within 2–3 hours of identification.

The CBI has set a ₹10 Cr loss threshold for taking over digital arrest scams, the report said, with the MHA adding that “MeitY is advised to secure compliance by WhatsApp, to ensure timely implementation of the safeguards and commitments made before the Inter17 Departmental Committee, including implementation of the SIM binding mechanism in compliance with the DoT circular”.

The SIM binding rules require messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal to remain continuously linked to a user’s SIM card. It also mandated that users of web or desktop versions of these apps be logged out every six hours. However, the six-hour rule was rolled back. Instead, users will now be reportedly logged out based on AI-enabled risk analysis by messaging platforms.

The post WhatsApp Bans 9,400 Accounts Over Digital Arrest Scams Post SC Crackdown appeared first on Inc42 Media.