https://www.wsj.com/tech/meta-fraud-facebook-instagram-813363c8?mod=hp_lead_pos1
Meta Battles an ‘Epidemic of Scams’ as Criminals Flood Instagram and Facebook
Fake puppies and phony offers of mouthwatering bargains are often seeded by overseas crime networks; employees says company is reluctant to impede its advertising juggernaut
By Jeff Horwitz and Angel Au-Yeung, The Wall Street Journal, May 15, 2025
…
Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is increasingly a cornerstone of the internet fraud economy, according to regulators, banks and internal documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
The company accounted for nearly half of all reported scams on Zelle for JPMorgan Chase between the summers of 2023 and 2024, according to a person familiar with the service…
An internal analysis from 2022 described in company documents likewise found that 70% of newly active advertisers on the platform are promoting scams, illicit goods or “low quality” products…
But fed by the rise of cryptocurrencies, generative AI and vast overseas crime networks based out of Southeast Asia, the immensity of Meta’s scam problem is growing and has been regularly flagged by employees over the past several years.
Current and former employees say Meta is reluctant to add impediments for ad-buying clients who drove a 22% increase in its advertising business last year to over $160 billion. Even after users demonstrate a history of scamming, Meta balks at removing them…
A U.S. Institute for Peace report last year on such activity estimated organized scamming operations—often called “pig butchering” groups—comprise hundreds of thousands of people, many trafficked after falling for fraudulent social-media employment ads. Kept in prisonlike compounds, the workers are forced to work under threat of “extreme forms of torture and abuse.”… [end quote]
AI clones of people’s faces and voices can make scam posts more persuasive. Many of the scam offers are very tempting. With such huge scam organized criminal operations the impact could be considered Macro.
I guess the best way to protect ourselves from scams is to not respond to any offers on FB. If an offer seems good, go directly to the company’s web site to see if it’s legitimate.
Any other suggestions?
Wendy