A watchdog group has warned that scammers are using fake videos of U.S. politicians, including former President Donald Trump, to trick people on Facebook and Instagram.
The Tech Transparency Project (TTP) said on Wednesday that it found 63 scam advertisers who spent $49 million on ads across Meta’s platforms. Many of the ads promoted fake stimulus checks, government cards, and health payments, often targeting older Americans.
“The findings show how scammers are taking advantage of advances in artificial intelligence technology, public confusion around the status of social safety net programs, and lax Meta content moderation to target new victims,” TTP said in its report.
One ad from a group called the Relief Eligibility Centre used a deepfake video of Trump.
The fake clip showed him promising Americans “FREE $5,000 checks,” even though the words did not match his actual speech.
TTP said the ad targeted men and women over 65 in more than 20 states.
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Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, did not respond to requests for comment.
But in a statement quoted by TTP, the company said it would “invest in building new technical defences” because scammers “constantly evolve their tactics to try to evade detection.”
Meta’s rules require political advertisers to provide official identification and a U.S. address. Still, TTP said nearly half of the scam advertisers were still running ads as of this week. Six of them spent more than $1 million before Meta disabled their accounts.
For years, fact-checkers have warned about fake government payment schemes spreading online. The Federal Trade Commission reported in August that scams targeting older adults have surged, with many losing more than $10,000 — sometimes their entire life savings.