WASHINGTON: Scammers have become some of the top political ad spenders on Meta’s platforms by using deepfake videos of American politicians including President Donald Trump.
The nonprofit Tech Transparency Project identified 63 scam advertisers that collectively spent $49 million on Facebook and Instagram.
These advertisers often targeted seniors with ads promoting fake stimulus checks, government spending cards, and healthcare payments.
The ads have reached tens of thousands of users across Meta’s platforms.
The findings reveal how scammers are exploiting advances in artificial intelligence technology and public confusion about social safety net programs.
Meta is allowing this activity despite prohibiting scams and claiming to invest in scam prevention measures.
Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.
The company stated it would invest in building new technical defenses as scammers constantly evolve their tactics.
Meta’s rules require political advertisers in the United States to undergo special authorization with official identification.
All 63 scam advertisers had their advertisements removed by Meta within the past 12 months for policy violations.
Nearly half of these advertisers continued to run ads as of Tuesday despite previous enforcement actions.
Meta disabled 35 ad accounts only after they ran dozens or even hundreds of advertisements.
Six accounts spent over $1 million each before being disabled or deleted by the platform.
One advertiser called the Relief Eligibility Center ran a deepfake video of Trump falsely promising stimulus checks.
The video matched a Trump speech in the White House Rose Garden but contained fabricated words not in the official transcript.
This ad directed users to a website offering a free $5,000 check from Trump and targeted people over 65 in more than 20 states.
Professional fact-checkers have warned for years about bogus stimulus check offers on social media.
The latest findings highlight the explosion of online fraud affecting American adults.
The Federal Trade Commission reported a more than four-fold increase since 2020 in complaints from older adults losing $10,000 or more to scammers. – AFP