WhatsApp blackmail network is ruining people’s lives

Luxury watch sellers and jewellers who trade on WhatsApp are falling victim to scammers who threaten to ban them from the platform unless they pay thousands of pounds in ransom.

Small business owners told The Telegraph that their WhatsApp accounts had been blocked without explanation. They said that both before and after the blocks, anonymous users contacted them, demanding payment in cryptocurrency to leave the victims alone or restore access.

Thanks to its privacy and ease of use, Meta’s messaging app has been embraced by a slew of entrepreneurs who use it to market expensive watches, chains and other jewelry, connect with customers, conduct conversations and keep records.

Given that some watches are valued at tens of thousands of pounds, having your account blocked for several weeks could result in the loss of significant income.

Business representatives say Meta is doing little to help them, which is causing their businesses to grind to a halt while they suffer losses and fall behind their competitors.

The contact form for businesses on WhatsApp’s support page was also found to be broken, making it difficult for businesses to report issues.

When The Telegraph brought the issue to Meta’s attention, the company said it had reported the issue internally.

Tony Singh, owner of Asian Wealth Jewellers, a luxury watch and jewellery store operating in the UK and Canada, received messages from a scammer in early August threatening to block his WhatsApp account if he did not pay a “ransom”.

Mr Singh refused and woke up the next day to find his account was dead. He said: “I was in limbo. It really affected me personally, business-wise and financially.”

While he was banned, Mr Singh communicated with a number of social media accounts claiming he could have his account unblocked for a fee. Many of the accounts, seen by The Telegraph, appear to be from India.

He said: “There’s a huge network of people who use Meta for business purposes, whether it’s Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, it’s used as part of our daily lives. When you take them away… what do you do?

“(If) you start over, you’ll lose everything you have.”