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Meta Under Fire as Scam Ad Problems Deepen

Preview: Meta faces mounting scrutiny after reports revealed billions of daily scam ad impressions and internal limits on enforcement. Consumer Reports is calling for FTC action as evidence suggests the company profits significantly from fraudulent advertising.

Consumer Reports is urging the FTC and state attorneys general to take enforcement action against Meta for failing to address the massive volume of scam advertisements on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. According to leaked internal documents obtained by Reuters, users were exposed to an estimated 15 billion higher-risk scam impressions each day, and Meta could soon derive 10 percent of its revenue—roughly $16 billion annually—from possibly illegal or scam ads.

Internal documents reveal Meta placed strict limits on enforcement. Ad-integrity teams were instructed not to take actions that would eliminate more than 0.15% of projected revenue. A January 2026 Reuters investigation found that Meta created an internal "playbook” to manage regulatory pressure over scam ads while protecting billions in advertising revenue, including cleaning up its Ad Library before regulators searched it—a tactic a former Meta fraud investigator called "regulatory theater.”

It appears to me that Meta (Facebook) is making too much money from fraudulent scam advertising to try to stop it aggressively. One more reason not to use that platform. Short of that, you must always have advertising and popup protection on when you enter the Internet. UBlock Origin is your best protection. Don't go onto the Internet without it.

Further reading

• Consumer Reports

• Reuters