Internal Meta documents reviewed by Reuters reveal that Mark Zuckerberg’s company expects to generate a staggering $16 billion—roughly 10 percent of its projected 2024 revenue—from ads promoting scams and banned products. The files, spanning from 2021 through 2025, expose how Meta’s platforms—Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—are flooded with fraudulent advertisements targeting billions of users daily.
According to a document dated December 2024, Meta estimates that 15 billion “higher risk” scam ads are shown to users each day. These include fake investment schemes, illegal casinos, and illicit medical products. Meta’s ad review system allegedly allows these ads to run unless it determines with 95 percent certainty that the advertiser is committing fraud. Ads flagged as suspicious—but falling below that threshold—are simply charged higher rates, turning potential crime into a premium product.
Worse, the platform’s ad-personalization algorithm appears to magnify the problem. Users who click on fraudulent ads are more likely to be shown similar scams, putting them at greater risk with each interaction. This feedback loop allows scammers to build profiles of vulnerable users and exploit them repeatedly.
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone dismissed the leaked materials, claiming they reflect a selective and misleading view of the company’s anti-fraud efforts. He stated that Meta is constantly evolving its tools to combat scammers, calling them “persistent criminals” working across borders.
However, critics say Meta is profiting from criminal activity while failing to take meaningful action. Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) condemned Meta for refusing to address serious concerns over ads for illegal drugs, including cocaine, which have reportedly reached minors. He accused the company of negligence and monetizing illicit content at the expense of user safety.
