Deepfakes, Fake Relief Checks, and Meta’s $49 Million Scam Ad Problem
A bombshell investigation reveals that Facebook’s parent company, Meta, has earned nearly $49 million over seven years from political advertisers running scam ads—including deepfakes of U.S. senators and White House officials—many of which violated the platform’s own policies.
How Scammers Exploit Facebook’s Political Ad System
According to a new report by the Tech Transparency Project, 63 deceptive political advertisers—roughly 1 in 5 of Facebook’s top 300 political spenders—have repeatedly posted fraudulent content. These ads featured AI-generated videos of figures like Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, falsely claiming Americans could claim $5,000 government relief checks.
Infographic: The Anatomy of a Facebook Political Scam Ad
- Step 1: Use AI to create deepfake video of trusted public figure
- Step 2: Promise fake government rebate or free gift (e.g., “Patriot Pumpkin Kit”)
- Step 3: Redirect users to sites that auto-enroll them in hidden subscriptions
- Step 4: Profit while Meta collects ad revenue—even after policy violations
Key Stats from the Investigation
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total scam ad spend (7 years) | $49 million |
| Number of deceptive ads | ~150,000 |
| Top scam advertisers suspended | Less than half |
| Advertisers still active after violations | More than 50% |
Real-World Impact: From MAGA Hats to Hidden Subscriptions
One notorious advertiser, “End the Wokeness,” lured users with a “free” red MAGA hat for 99¢ shipping—only to enroll them in a recurring monthly subscription. The company, linked to administrators in the Philippines and a Staten Island warehouse, has faced dozens of refund complaints on its Facebook page.
Meta claims it enforces its rules “vigorously,” but internal rollbacks on content moderation and reliance on user reports have created a permissive environment. As former Meta executive Rob Leathern put it: “The pendulum has swung toward short-term revenue versus long-term platform health.”
For more on digital disinformation, see our [INTERNAL_LINK:Online Political Scams] coverage.
Sources
- The New York Times: Spam and Scams Proliferate in Facebook’s Political Ads
- Tech Transparency Project Report (2025)
