Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Oct 2: Scammers are increasingly exploiting Meta platforms with deepfake videos of American politicians, including former President Donald Trump, to promote fake government benefits, a watchdog group reported on Wednesday.
The nonprofit Tech Transparency Project (TTP) identified 63 scam advertisers who collectively spent $49 million on Facebook and Instagram. The ads, often targeting seniors, promoted bogus stimulus checks, government spending cards, and healthcare payments, reaching tens of thousands of users.
“The findings show scammers are leveraging advances in artificial intelligence, public confusion around social safety programs, and lax content moderation on Meta to deceive users,” TTP said in its report.
Meta, which prohibits scams and claims to invest in scam prevention, did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment. TTP noted that while all 63 advertisers had over 150,600 ads removed in the past 12 months, nearly half continued to advertise as of Tuesday.
Among the most notable cases, an advertiser named Relief Eligibility Center ran a deepfake video of Trump in April and May falsely promising stimulus checks. The ad, which targeted Americans over 65 in more than 20 states, directed users to a website claiming a “FREE $5,000 Check from Trump.” The video’s dialogue did not match Trump’s official White House Rose Garden transcript, TTP found.
TTP’s report highlighted that Meta disabled 35 ad accounts, but only after dozens—or even hundreds—of scam ads were run. Six accounts spent over $1 million before being removed.
The report underscores the growing threat of online fraud. Surveys reveal a rising number of American adults falling victim to scams or impersonation attacks. In August, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported a four-fold increase since 2020 in complaints from older adults who lost $10,000 or more—sometimes their life savings—to scammers impersonating trusted agencies or businesses.
The TTP report calls attention to the urgent need for stricter regulation and stronger safeguards on social media platforms to protect vulnerable users from AI-driven scams.