PTA Blocks 176,000 WhatsApp Accounts Linked to Recycled Numbers in Joint Effort With Meta

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has blocked 176,000 WhatsApp accounts registered against recycled mobile numbers as part of a joint effort with Meta to combat cyber fraud and protect mobile subscribers, officials said.

According to PTA officials, the accounts were deactivated at the regulator's request after complaints that recycled numbers were being exploited to carry out fraudulent activity on WhatsApp. The authority has already shared approximately 10 million recycled mobile numbers with Meta for verification and identification of the WhatsApp accounts linked to them.

Under a new permanent arrangement, the PTA will share 5,000 recycled mobile numbers with Meta every month, allowing the platform to identify and block any associated accounts. Officials noted that telecom operators currently hold around 16 million recycled mobile numbers, which can pose security risks when WhatsApp profiles tied to them remain active after the original SIM cards have been cancelled or deactivated.

The concern is that when operators reassign these numbers to new subscribers, existing WhatsApp accounts may remain linked to them, creating opportunities for fraudsters to misuse the accounts and potentially target the new users. Under the agreed mechanism, WhatsApp accounts connected to recycled numbers will be identified and blocked in phases.

The regulator also disclosed that Meta resolved 82 percent of the complaints forwarded by the PTA during the previous year, reflecting ongoing coordination between the two sides on user safety. The initiative is expected to reduce the fraud risks associated with number recycling while strengthening protections for mobile subscribers across the country.