By Naeem Mehboob
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), in collaboration with Meta, has initiated a comprehensive process to block WhatsApp accounts registered on inactive, cancelled and recycled mobile numbers, with 176,000 accounts already deactivated under the initiative.
According to PTA officials, the authority has developed a permanent mechanism in coordination with Meta to prevent the misuse of WhatsApp accounts associated with mobile numbers that are no longer active with their original subscribers.
Officials said Meta blocked 176,000 WhatsApp accounts following a formal request from the PTA. The accounts were identified as being active on recycled mobile numbers, which have emerged as a potential source of cyber fraud and other digital scams.
PTA officials said complaints had been received about cyber fraud committed through WhatsApp accounts linked to inactive mobile numbers. Such accounts can create security risks when previously issued numbers are reassigned to new subscribers while their old WhatsApp accounts remain active.
According to the authority, approximately 16 million recycled mobile numbers are currently held by telecom operators. The PTA has already forwarded a list of 10 million recycled numbers to Meta for verification and necessary action.
Under the mechanism agreed between the two sides, the PTA will provide Meta with 5,000 recycled mobile numbers every month. WhatsApp accounts associated with these numbers will be identified and blocked in phases.
Officials said the process would continue until all identified WhatsApp accounts operating on recycled numbers were deactivated, helping prevent their misuse for fraudulent activities.
The PTA also disclosed that Meta had resolved 82 percent of the complaints forwarded by the authority during the previous year.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening digital security, protecting mobile subscribers from identity-related fraud and ensuring that WhatsApp accounts are not misused through numbers that have been disconnected or reassigned to new users.
