Investing.com -- WhatsApp said Wednesday that an Italian surveillance company deceived approximately 200 users into downloading a fraudulent version of its messaging application designed to spy on targets.

The Meta Platforms-owned service said the operation was conducted by ASIGINT, a subsidiary of SIO, a company based in northern Italy. SIO's website describes its offerings as "high-performance, field-proven cyber intelligence solutions and technology."

According to WhatsApp, the campaign was "highly targeted" and used deception to trick victims into installing "malicious software that impersonated WhatsApp." The company said the affected users were "primarily" located in Italy but did not provide additional details about their identities.

SIO states on its website that it partners with "Law Enforcement Agencies, Government Organizations, Police and Intelligence Agencies." The company did not respond to requests for comment. Italy's interior ministry directed questions to police, who also did not respond.

This marks the second time in 15 months that Meta has publicly addressed spyware activity in Italy. The country is still addressing consequences from a surveillance operation exposed in early 2025 that used spyware from U.S.-owned firm Paragon. Italy and Paragon have since ended their relationship.