Post by : Rameen Ariff

Scammers are increasingly using deepfake political ads on Meta platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, spending nearly $49 million to target vulnerable users, according to a new report by the nonprofit Tech Transparency Project (TTP).

The report, released on Wednesday, said it identified 63 scam advertisers who collectively purchased more than 150,600 political ads on Meta in the past 12 months. Many of these ads promoted fake stimulus checks, government benefits, spending cards, and healthcare payments, often targeting older Americans, particularly those over the age of 65.

How Scammers Operated

TTP found that scammers used AI-generated deepfake videos of U.S. politicians, including former President Donald Trump, to trick users into believing in false government offers. One ad featured a fake video of Trump promising Americans a “FREE $5,000 check,” directing users to fraudulent websites.

These scams often mimicked real political speeches but altered the wording to mislead viewers. the tactics exploited public confusion around social security programs and AI technology, while taking advantage of Meta’s weak content moderation system.

Meta’s Policy and Response

Meta requires advertisers running political ads in the United States to complete a special authorization process, which includes submitting a government ID and a U.S. mailing address. Despite this, scammers were still able to run paid campaigns.

Although Meta eventually removed the scam ads for violating its policies, TTP found that nearly half of the advertisers continued to run ads afterward. In total, 35 accounts were disabled, but only after running dozens or even hundreds of fake ads.

Shockingly, six of the scam advertisers each spent over $1 million before their accounts were deleted or blocked.

Meta did not directly request for comment but previously stated it is working to “invest in new technical defenses” as scammers constantly update their methods to avoid detection.

Why This Matters

For years, fact-checkers have warned about bogus stimulus check offers on social media. Now, with the rise of deepfake technology, scams have become more convincing and dangerous.

The issue highlights a growing wave of online fraud targeting older Americans. In August, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported a four-fold increase since 2020 in complaints from senior citizens who lost $10,000 or more to online scams, often their entire life savings.

The findings raise urgent questions about online safety, AI misuse, and Meta’s responsibility to protect its users from harmful scams.

#world news #Global News #Tech News