Meta says it culled millions of scam ads amid accusations that it profits from them

Steven

Meta says it culled millions of scam ads amid accusations that it profits from them

Summary

Meta says it removed 159 million scam ads in 2025 and deactivated 10.9 million Facebook and Instagram accounts tied to criminal scam centres. The company says it is increasingly targeting whole networks rather than individual accounts and has rolled out new tools — from expanded AI detection to friend-request and WhatsApp alerts — to spot scams earlier. In a joint operation in Bangkok with the Royal Thai Police, the FBI and Britain’s National Crime Agency, Meta disabled over 150,000 accounts and information it shared contributed to 21 arrests.

The problem is global and organised: many scams originate from large Southeast Asian compounds where workers are trafficked or coerced into running long-term frauds such as “pig-butchering,” which coax victims into fraudulent cryptocurrency investments. A Reuters investigation claimed about 10% of Meta’s 2024 revenue (roughly $16bn) came from ads linked to scams and banned goods — a figure Meta disputes, saying it undermines trust in its ad ecosystem.

U.S. senators have urged federal probes and proposed legislation (the bipartisan SCAM Act) to force platforms to verify advertisers and combat fraud. Governments are also updating strategies: the U.S. issued an executive order on cybercrime and fraud, while the UK outlined a fraud strategy that leans on telecoms and tech firms. Meta says it wants verified advertisers to make up 90% of its ad revenue by the end of 2026, up from about 70% today, and insists verification should be part of a risk-based approach.

Key Points

  • Meta removed 159 million scam ads in 2025 and 10.9 million accounts linked to scam centres.
  • The company is shifting from removing single accounts to disrupting entire scam networks in partnership with law enforcement.
  • A Bangkok operation with the Royal Thai Police, FBI and Britain’s NCA saw 150,000+ accounts disabled and helped lead to 21 arrests.
  • Many scams originate from Southeast Asian compounds where workers are trafficked and forced to run frauds like “pig-butchering.”
  • Reuters reported that up to 10% of Meta’s 2024 ad revenue might be tied to scam-linked ads; Meta disputes that characterisation.
  • Meta says 92% of the 159 million removed scam ads were auto-detected before user reports.
  • U.S. lawmakers have called for FTC/SEC investigations and introduced the SCAM Act; policy responses in the U.S. and UK are evolving.
  • Meta aims for 90% of ad revenue to come from verified advertisers by end of 2026, using a multi-layered, risk-based verification approach.

Why should I read this?

Quick and blunt: Meta says it nuked hundreds of millions of dodgy ads and is working with cops — but investigators and senators suspect the platform still benefits from scam advertising. If you care about online safety, who gets paid for ads, or upcoming rules that could change how platforms operate, this one matters. We’ve pulled out the numbers and the political heat so you don’t have to.

Source

Source: https://therecord.media/meta-scam-advertising-crackdown