Scammers have spent a staggering $49 million on Meta platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, using deepfake videos of prominent U.S. politicians such as former President Donald Trump and celebrity figures like Elon Musk to promote fake government benefits and other scams, according to a report by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP).
The investigation found 63 scam advertisers responsible for over 150,000 political scam ads, often targeting seniors with promises of fake stimulus checks, government spending cards, and Medicare benefits.
These ads misuse advanced AI technology to create realistic but fraudulent videos, lending a false sense of legitimacy to deceptive offers. Despite Meta's policies prohibiting such scams and requiring political advertisers to undergo verification, many scam ads ran for days or weeks before being removed. Some accounts spent over a million dollars on these ads before being disabled, and nearly half of the scam advertisers continued running ads as of late September 2025.
The proliferation of deepfake political scam ads highlights significant gaps in Meta’s content moderation and ad review processes. Experts warn that AI advancements will only increase the sophistication and volume of fraudulent ads without robust enforcement. Meta has pledged to invest in new technical defenses to combat evolving scam tactics but faces growing scrutiny from regulators and watchdog groups regarding user safety and misinformation.
This troubling trend underscores the need for tighter controls and greater transparency in online political advertising to protect vulnerable communities from fraud and misinformation.
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