Ethical Hacking News
Meta Platforms, Inc., the world's largest social media company, has taken a significant step towards combating online scams on its platforms by filing lawsuits against several advertisers based in Brazil, China, and Vietnam. These advertisements were found to be deceptive and used tactics such as celebrity-bait scams to trick users into clicking on malicious links that led to scam sites. The development comes months after a Reuters investigation found that 19% of Meta's $18 billion in ad sales in China in 2024 came from ads for scams, illegal gambling, pornography, and other banned content. The report also uncovered agencies that allow businesses to run banned advertisements, prompting the company to put its Badged Partners program under review.
Meta Platforms, Inc. filed lawsuits against several advertisers based in Brazil, China, and Vietnam for deceptive ads. The advertisers were found to use tactics such as celebrity-bait scams to trick users into clicking on malicious links. Eight marketing consultants were also issued cease and desist letters for helping clients bypass Meta's ad policy enforcement systems. AI-powered chatbots were used to deceive users, with scammers claiming to be experts who could help them invest their money. Scammers used various techniques to evade detection, including cloaking techniques and shadow resolvers hosted on bulletproof hosting companies. Nearly one in three ads running on Meta platforms across the E.U. and U.K. pointed to a scam link over a 23-day period. The scams were highly organized, with shared payment and infrastructure linked to China and Hong Kong. Meta has developed protections for celebrities whose images are repeatedly used in these schemes, protecting over 500,000 worldwide.
Meta Platforms, Inc., the world's largest social media company, has taken a significant step towards combating online scams on its platforms by filing lawsuits against several advertisers based in Brazil, China, and Vietnam. These advertisements were found to be deceptive and used tactics such as celebrity-bait scams to trick users into clicking on malicious links that led to scam sites.
According to the reports filed with the court, Meta has identified at least three advertisers who engage in such practices. Two of these advertisers are based in Brazil: Vitor Lourenço de Souza and Milena Luciani Sanchez. They were sued for using altered images and voices of celebrities to promote fraudulent healthcare products. The third advertiser is based in China, Shenzhen Yunzheng Technology Co., Ltd. This company was found to use celeb-bait ads to target people in various countries, including the U.S. and Japan, as part of a fraud scheme designed to lure them into joining investment groups.
In addition to these advertisers, Meta has also issued cease and desist letters to eight marketing consultants who advertised the ability to bypass its ad policy enforcement systems. These consulting firms claimed that they could help clients bypass controls by renting access to trusted accounts. The company took action against these consultants after discovering that they were involved in scam operations.
One of the notable aspects of this case is the use of AI-powered chatbots to deceive users. According to reports, scammers would send messages to victims via messaging apps, claiming to be experts who could help them invest their money. The victims were persuaded to invest more and more money, only to demand a "release fee" to unlock non-existent profits. This type of scam is often referred to as pig butchering fraud.
The investigation also found that scammers are using various techniques to evade detection. For example, they use cloaking techniques to conceal the true nature of their websites linked to ads in an attempt to fool ad review systems by serving one version of content during reviews and showing a different, malicious content to real users. In some cases, scammers have been observed using shadow resolvers hosted on bulletproof hosting companies sanctioned by the U.S. Government to alter DNS settings.
The discovery of these scams has significant implications for online safety and security. According to reports, nearly one in three ads running on Meta platforms across the E.U. and U.K. over a 23-day period pointed to a scam, phishing, or malware link. This represents a highly concentrated campaign with just 10 advertisers responsible for over 56% of all observed scam ads.
The investigation also found that these scammers were highly organized, with shared payment and infrastructure linked to China and Hong Kong. This suggests that the scams are not carried out by isolated bad actors but rather as part of an industrial-scale operation.
In response to these findings, Meta has stated that it is committed to protecting its users from such scams. The company has developed protections for celebrities whose images are repeatedly used in these schemes, with the current program protecting over 500,000 celebrities worldwide.
The development comes months after a Reuters investigation found that 19% of Meta's $18 billion in ad sales in China in 2024 came from ads for scams, illegal gambling, pornography, and other banned content. The report also uncovered agencies that allow businesses to run banned advertisements, prompting the company to put its Badged Partners program under review.
Overall, the actions taken by Meta demonstrate a commitment to combating online scams and protecting its users' safety and security. However, more needs to be done to address these issues effectively, particularly in terms of addressing the root causes of these scams and working with law enforcement agencies to bring those responsible to justice.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/Meta-Files-Lawsuits-Against-Brazilian-Chinese-and-Vietnamese-Advertisers-for-Deceptive-Tactics-Used-to-Scam-Users-ehn.shtml
https://thehackernews.com/2026/02/meta-files-lawsuits-against-brazil.html
https://about.fb.com/news/2026/02/meta-takes-legal-action-against-scam-advertisers/
Published: Fri Feb 27 05:31:07 2026 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
