The news: Meta platforms Instagram and Facebook are facing an “epidemic of scams,” per a company spokesperson, as the platforms struggle to staunch the flow of thousands of scam ads.

• Per a 2022 internal analysis cited by The Wall Street Journal, 70% of newly active advertisers on Instagram and Facebook were promoting scams, poor quality products, or illicit goods—and the problem has only grown since then.
• A 2024 document reviewed by WSJ highlighted that Meta allows advertisers to accumulate eight to 32 “strikes” for financial fraud before banning the account, though this limit can drop to between four and 16 if a Meta employee escalates the problem.
• One case saw a business owner purchasing 15 ads across Instagram and Facebook—but a search of Meta’s ad library revealed over 4,400 ads using the business’s name and photos.

Zooming out: Ad fraud is increasingly a cause for concern for advertisers, especially on social media.