Ever wonder why scammers, false advertising, and fake listings run rampant across Meta’s platforms?

Could it be that scammers are increasingly clever, and are using novel tactics and AI to exploit the world’s most-used platforms? Or, is it that the very platforms themselves have little incentive to remove the scammers, because it’s all engagement and traffic either way?

All traffic is good traffic

According to internal documents seen by Reuters, Meta estimates that an astounding 10 percent of its overall revenue comes from advertising for scams and banned goods. That “10 percent” equates to a not an insignificant sum of $16 billion.

Another document showed that Meta earns around $7 billion per year from advertising specifically marked as “higher risk”—adverts that it knows are problematic, but runs anyway despite potential issues for platform users.

The Reuters report indicates that the documents on scam-advertising profits have been collated from Meta’s finance, lobbying, engineering, and safety divisions, covering the period from 2021 through 2024. Collectively, it represents Meta’s attempts to seriously understand the scale of abuse of its platforms, but also highlights the alarming conflicts of interest that arise from doing so.

As you’d expect, Meta wasn’t particularly thrilled with Reuters’ data. Speaking to Reuters, Meta spokesman Andy Stone said the documents seen by Reuters “present a selective view that distorts Meta’s approach to fraud and scams.”

Stone declined to update Reuters with the latest figures regarding its profits from scam advertising and false product placements. However, he added that Meta’s divisions “aggressively fight fraud and scams because people on our platforms don’t want this content, legitimate advertisers don’t want it and we don’t want it either.”

Ad personalization means you get personalized scams

Credit: Reuters

The big problem for Meta is that it’s an absolute core part of global advertising and is responsible for a huge amount of its revenue. But the size of its platforms means that policing the networks of scams is difficult, and means that Meta features as a core part of many online scams; they might not work without them.

In the UK, the Payment Systems Regulator found that in 2023, more than half of all scams involved a Meta platform of some kind, with around £1 of every £5 lost attributable to Meta.

Furthermore, because Meta’s advertising is so personalized, once you click on a scam advert, you’re likely to be bombarded with more, as it believes that’s what you want to see. So, you make one mistake, and suddenly, your account is filled with scams of all types.

Or is the money too much to let go of?

Meta has made a few statements about reducing its profits from these illicit adverts. There is regulatory pressure to actually make its platforms safer to use, while the internal documents suggest Meta is aiming to reduce its reliance on these income streams.

The documents make clear that Meta aims to reduce its illicit revenue stream in the future. But the company is concerned that abrupt reductions of scam advertising revenue could affect its business projections, according to a 2025 document that discusses the impact of “violating revenue” – income from ads that violate Meta’s standards, such as scams, illegal gambling, sexual services or dubious health products.

But other internal documents seem to contradict those positive steps. Restrictions on how much the company is willing to lose (or rather, reduce its profits) to act against scams and fake advertising are in place, with departments unable to take measures that cost the company too much in one hit. This, despite Meta raking in $90 billion in just the first half of 2025.

It’s painfully clear where Meta’s focus remains, and who is expected to ultimately foot the bill for its stances on scams and false advertising. Backing this up are Meta’s internal warning systems, which only ban advertisers if they’re 95 percent certain to be fraudulent.

If the figure is lower than this but suspect, Meta just charges them more to access the platforms, increasing its profits again. So, 95 percent—you’re done. But 94 percent? That’ll just cost you a few dollars more, please.

Then there is the document from 2023 that alleges Meta dismisses most claims against scam activity, with the company ignoring or incorrectly rejecting more than 96% of claims.

But what on earth are we meant to do?

Well, one clear answer is to just pack up and leave Meta’s platforms. Ditch Facebook and Messenger, torch Instagram, and lock down your Threads account. Even WhatsApp’s long-standing reputation for privacy is questionable with Meta at the helm.

It’s easier said than done, mind. Many of us use Meta’s various platforms for work, play, and research; outside the US, WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps. And that’s in multiple countries. My US colleagues always joke that when they come to Europe, it’s easier to just download WhatsApp and join the crowd, such is the usage outside the US.

Otherwise, you’re best off learning how to spot common Facebook scams, avoiding as many fake celebrity endorsements as possible, and figuring out just how scammers use Facebook and Instagram to send malware.

It’s dangerous out there, and it seems that, given the sums of money involved, it’s unlikely to improve.