PTA and Meta Block 176,000 WhatsApp Accounts in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority says it has worked with Meta to block 176,000 WhatsApp accounts registered on recycled mobile numbers. The step follows complaints that such numbers were being used for cyber fraud.

The move builds on a campaign the regulator began earlier this year. In August, the PTA warned that WhatsApp accounts on inactive SIMs may be blocked, and said such accounts can be misused when numbers pass to new subscribers. In late October, officials confirmed that blocking had begun, after an awareness campaign urging users to keep their accounts tied to active numbers they control.

The risk comes from how mobile numbers work. The PTA has explained that operators may reissue inactive numbers to new customers, which could give a new owner access to a previous user’s WhatsApp account. The regulator has also said dormant numbers are increasingly used to run WhatsApp accounts for scams and other illegal activity, and described the action as a consumer protection measure aimed at closing that gap.

The action comes as fraud complaints remain high in Pakistan. Figures presented to the National Assembly showed the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency received 150,542 cybercrime complaints in 2025, and 81,996 of them were linked to financial fraud. The PTA has also worked with Meta before. In 2024 it flagged more than 1,000 fake accounts to the company, including impersonations of politicians, officials and citizens, and forwarded 37 hacked profiles for restoration.

For ordinary users, the advice is simple. The PTA has asked subscribers to check whether their SIM cards are still active and to act quickly if a number no longer works. People who have switched networks or changed numbers should update their account details, and can use WhatsApp’s number change feature to move an existing account to a new number. The regulator also urges people not to share one time passwords or CNIC details with anyone, as scammers often rely on deception rather than hacking.