A WhatsApp account can stay active on a mobile number after its original owner cancels the SIM. The number is then reissued to someone else, with the old account still live on it. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) says this has let scammers misuse old accounts, and it has worked with Meta to block 176,000 of them.
What PTA and Meta did
PTA asked Meta to check and block WhatsApp accounts on numbers that telecom operators have recycled. Meta blocked about 176,000 accounts. PTA has given Meta roughly 10 million recycled numbers to check. The two have also agreed a standing arrangement: PTA will share newly recycled numbers with Meta every month, and Meta will deactivate the linked accounts in phases. Telecom operators in Pakistan currently hold about 16 million recycled numbers, PTA says. It adds that Meta resolved 82 percent of the complaints it sent last year.
Why a recycled number is a risk
A SIM is recycled when its original owner stops using it and the operator later reissues the same number to a new subscriber. If the old WhatsApp account on that number was never moved or closed, the new number holder can sometimes access it. A fraudster can also exploit it before the new holder does. PTA says it acted after receiving fraud complaints of this kind.
What this does not mean
Blocking happens only for accounts PTA and Meta have matched to a recycled number, in phases, not all at once. It is not a check on any individual's account, and it does not affect a WhatsApp account on a number its owner still uses.
What to do if you changed your number
Move your account before the old number is reassigned: open WhatsApp Settings, then Account, then Change number, and follow the steps. To see every SIM registered on your CNIC, send your CNIC number by SMS to 668. Report and block any SIM you do not recognise or no longer use.
If you get a new number
Check whether it carries someone else's WhatsApp account before you set up your own. Do not open or use an account that is not yours. Register a fresh WhatsApp account on the number instead.