{"id":1895662,"date":"2026-04-21T19:32:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T16:32:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1895662"},"modified":"2026-04-21T19:32:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T16:32:20","slug":"meta-has-misled-users-about-scam-ads-on-facebook-and-instagram-lawsuit-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1895662","title":{"rendered":"Meta has misled users about scam ads on Facebook and Instagram, lawsuit says"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/VIgMq04uZnGeVQPSspjjkw&#8211;\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyMDA7aD03OTg-\/https:\/\/d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net\/images\/2026-03\/e569ae28-4cca-46e6-b6c7-85c08798fa42&#8243;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"article-e721e1db-53c3-4099-8df2-7c4d1bdfb1c1\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"mx-auto md:px-10 md:max-w-[1220px]\">\n<nav class=\"prestige-breadcrumb relative mx-4 md:mx-0\" aria-label=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<ol class=\"no-scrollbar overflow-scroll whitespace-nowrap text-battleship\">\n<li class=\"inline\">\n<li class=\"inline-block cursor-default last:pr-10 md:last:pr-20 font-bold\">Social media<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<header class=\"mb-4 px-4 md:mb-6 md:px-0\">\n<h1 class=\"layout-h1 my-2 font-bold leading-tight\">Meta has misled users about scam ads on Facebook and Instagram, lawsuit says<\/h1>\n<h2 class=\"my-2 text-[18px] font-light leading-5 md:max-w-[660px] md:text-[20px]\/[28px]\">The company is being sued by the nonprofit Consumer Federation of America.<\/h2>\n<div class=\"flex-col items-start lg:flex lg:flex-row lg:items-center lg:justify-between mt-6\">\n<div class=\"relative md:mr-[10px]\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\">\n<div class=\"flex mr-2\">\n<div class=\"shrink-0 cursor-pointer inline-block size-[42px] lg:size-[48px]\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt role=\"img\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full rounded-full object-cover object-center shadow-[0_0_0_2px_#ffffff]\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/eOQDk3a.ZcPrsepE4Oylww--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTgwO2g9ODA-\/https:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/images\/dims?image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fo.aolcdn.com%2Fimages%2Fdims%3Fimage_uri%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fs.yimg.com%252Fos%252Fcreatr-uploaded-images%252F2024-02%252F55cbf240-cb77-11ee-bbda-2ec0c01145be%26compress%3D1%26progressive%3D1%26quality%3D75%26client%3Dhawkeye%26signature%3Dab727c9e8e4e10168d96302907ce9deadba54024&amp;compress=1&amp;progressive=1&amp;quality=75&amp;client=hawkeye&amp;signature=aa31fc69a237b9561663018fc2d999c87d99b08a\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inline-block\">\n<div class=\"w-max text-sm\/5 font-semibold lg:!flex flex items-center\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col\">\n<div class=\"flex w-max items-center\">Karissa Bell<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"font-normal sm:before:inline-block\">Senior reporter<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"lg:hidden\">\n<div class=\"text-xs text-dolphin dark:text-shark md:text-sm\/5 pt-4\">\n<div class=\"inline-block\"><time datetime=\"2026-04-21T19:32:20.000Z\">Tue, April 21, 2026 at 7:32 PM UTC<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ml-0 mt-4 flex items-center lg:ml-3 lg:mt-0\">\n<div class=\"ml-0 mr-2\">\n<div class=\"relative flex\">Add Engadget on Google<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"hidden lg:block\">\n<div class=\"text-xs text-dolphin dark:text-shark md:text-sm\/5 pt-4\">\n<div class=\"inline-block\"><time datetime=\"2026-04-21T19:32:20.000Z\">Tue, April 21, 2026 at 7:32 PM UTC<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-1 gap-x-8 lg:gap-x-0 mx-auto md:px-10 md:max-w-[1220px] md:grid-cols-[[main-start]_1fr_[main-end_right-start]_min-content_[right-end]] lg:!gap-x-8\">\n<div class=\"md:col-main\" data-i13n-boundary=\"true\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-[[fullbleed-start_body-start]_minmax(auto,750px)_[body-end_fullbleed-end]]\">\n<figure class=\"relative col-body mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative overflow-hidden fig-image-round left-1\/2 w-screen -translate-x-1\/2 md:left-0 md:w-auto md:translate-x-0\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt class=\"object-cover object-center\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/kPmZa9PN9Ln24_s6o3Rw2w--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04MjY-\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/uu\/api\/res\/1.2\/QVdiggoD8WbRbenDTjSdXg--~B\/aD00MDI0O3c9NjA0ODthcHBpZD15dGFjaHlvbg--\/https:\/\/d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net\/images\/2026-03\/e569ae28-4cca-46e6-b6c7-85c08798fa42\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-[0.875rem]\/[1.25rem] figure-caption mt-1 line-clamp-2 mt-2.5 md:mt-2 pr-2.5\">\n<div><span class=\"[&amp;_p]:inline\"><\/p>\n<p> (Photo by Samuel Boivin\/NurPhoto via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span> (NurPhoto via Getty Images)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-article-mobile md:grid-cols-article lg:max-w-[750px] drop-cap\" data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Meta is facing a new lawsuit over its advertising practices. The nonprofit group Consumer Federation of America (CFA) has filed a proposed class-action suit against Meta for &#8220;failing to protect users&#8221; from scam ads on Facebook and Instagram.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">The lawsuit, which was first reported by <em>Wired<\/em>, alleges that Meta has run afoul of consumer protection laws in Washington D.C. for misleading Facebook and Instagram users about scams on its apps and that the company has &#8220;chased profits rather than protecting its users.&#8221; The filing includes numerous examples of alleged scam ads that CFA says it found in Meta&#8217;s ad library. These include ads promoting a &#8220;free government iPhone,&#8221; as well as those claiming to offer $1,400 checks to people born in certain years. Many of the ads use AI videos, according to CFA.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative col-body mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Some of examples of alleged scam ads CFA includes in its lawsuit.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"457\" class=\"fig-image-round\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Fllg10aIagQRb0MUC9aYZQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTQ1Nw--\/https:\/\/d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net\/images\/user-uploaded\/screenshot_2026-04-21_at_12.01.37_5135.png\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-[0.875rem]\/[1.25rem] figure-caption mt-1 line-clamp-2 mt-2.5 md:mt-2 pr-2.5\">\n<div><span class=\"[&amp;_p]:inline\">Some of examples of alleged scam ads CFA includes in its lawsuit.<\/span><span> (CFA)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Meta&#8217;s advertising practices have been in the spotlight since last year when <em>Reuters<\/em> reported on internal documents that indicated the company was making billions of dollars from ads promoting scams and banned goods. The report also highlighted how Meta&#8217;s own processes have at times made it harder for its own employees to fight malicious advertisers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-fullbleed mb-4 bg-marshmallow pb-5 dark:bg-ramones md:invisible md:mb-0 md:h-0 md:overflow-hidden md:pb-0\">\n<div class=\"py-2 text-center text-xs uppercase\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div class=\"flex\" id=\"_R_lh9nam95feiv5tilbH1_\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full items-center justify-center bg-marshmallow text-center leading-3\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-body mb-4 hidden pb-5 dark:bg-ramones md:block\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div class=\"flex\" id=\"_R_15h9nam95feiv5tilbH1_\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full items-center justify-center bg-marshmallow text-center leading-3\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">&#8220;Meta claims it is doing all it can to crack down on scam advertising on its platforms,&#8221; CFA&#8217;s lawsuit states. &#8220;But in reality, Meta has knowingly taken steps and adopted policies that pad its bottom line at the expense of its users\u2019 safety and well-being. In fact, rather than prohibiting advertisers who the company itself has determined pose a higher risk to its users (as other tech companies like Google have), Meta just charges these advertisers more. The perverse result is that the riskier the advertiser, the more money Meta makes.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">CFA&#8217;s allegations &#8220;misrepresent the reality of our work and we will fight them,&#8221; a Meta spokesperson said in a statement. &#8220;We aggressively combat scams across our platforms to protect people and businesses \u2014 last year alone, we removed over 159 million scam ads, 92% of which we took down before anyone reported them, and took down 10.9 million accounts on Facebook and Instagram associated with criminal scam centers. We fight scams because they are bad for business \u2014 people don&#8217;t want them, advertisers don&#8217;t want them, and we don&#8217;t want them either.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"md:col-main grid grid-cols-article-mobile md:grid-cols-article lg:max-w-[750px]\">\n<div class=\"no-scrollbar col-body mx-4 mb-8 mt-2.5 overflow-x-scroll whitespace-nowrap md:mx-0 md:max-w-[750px] md:overflow-x-visible md:hidden\">\n<div class=\"mx-auto max-w-screen-sm\">\n<ul class=\"inline-flex text-xs md:text-sm\">\n<li class=\"mr-6\">About our ads<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-article-mobile md:grid-cols-article lg:max-w-[750px] drop-cap\" data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Meta is facing a new lawsuit over its advertising practices. The nonprofit group Consumer Federation of America (CFA) has filed a proposed class-action suit against Meta for &#8220;failing to protect users&#8221; from scam ads on Facebook and Instagram.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">The lawsuit, which was first reported by <em>Wired<\/em>, alleges that Meta has run afoul of consumer protection laws in Washington D.C. for misleading Facebook and Instagram users about scams on its apps and that the company has &#8220;chased profits rather than protecting its users.&#8221; The filing includes numerous examples of alleged scam ads that CFA says it found in Meta&#8217;s ad library. These include ads promoting a &#8220;free government iPhone,&#8221; as well as those claiming to offer $1,400 checks to people born in certain years. Many of the ads use AI videos, according to CFA.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative col-body mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Some of examples of alleged scam ads CFA includes in its lawsuit.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"457\" class=\"fig-image-round\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Fllg10aIagQRb0MUC9aYZQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTQ1Nw--\/https:\/\/d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net\/images\/user-uploaded\/screenshot_2026-04-21_at_12.01.37_5135.png\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-[0.875rem]\/[1.25rem] figure-caption mt-1 line-clamp-2 mt-2.5 md:mt-2 pr-2.5\">\n<div><span class=\"[&amp;_p]:inline\">Some of examples of alleged scam ads CFA includes in its lawsuit.<\/span><span> (CFA)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Meta&#8217;s advertising practices have been in the spotlight since last year when <em>Reuters<\/em> reported on internal documents that indicated the company was making billions of dollars from ads promoting scams and banned goods. The report also highlighted how Meta&#8217;s own processes have at times made it harder for its own employees to fight malicious advertisers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-fullbleed mb-4 bg-marshmallow pb-5 dark:bg-ramones md:invisible md:mb-0 md:h-0 md:overflow-hidden md:pb-0\">\n<div class=\"py-2 text-center text-xs uppercase\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div class=\"flex\" id=\"_R_lh9nam95feiv5tilbH1_\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full items-center justify-center bg-marshmallow text-center leading-3\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-body mb-4 hidden pb-5 dark:bg-ramones md:block\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div class=\"flex\" id=\"_R_15h9nam95feiv5tilbH1_\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full items-center justify-center bg-marshmallow text-center leading-3\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">&#8220;Meta claims it is doing all it can to crack down on scam advertising on its platforms,&#8221; CFA&#8217;s lawsuit states. &#8220;But in reality, Meta has knowingly taken steps and adopted policies that pad its bottom line at the expense of its users\u2019 safety and well-being. In fact, rather than prohibiting advertisers who the company itself has determined pose a higher risk to its users (as other tech companies like Google have), Meta just charges these advertisers more. The perverse result is that the riskier the advertiser, the more money Meta makes.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">CFA&#8217;s allegations &#8220;misrepresent the reality of our work and we will fight them,&#8221; a Meta spokesperson said in a statement. &#8220;We aggressively combat scams across our platforms to protect people and businesses \u2014 last year alone, we removed over 159 million scam ads, 92% of which we took down before anyone reported them, and took down 10.9 million accounts on Facebook and Instagram associated with criminal scam centers. We fight scams because they are bad for business \u2014 people don&#8217;t want them, advertisers don&#8217;t want them, and we don&#8217;t want them either.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.engadget.com\/social-media\/meta-has-misled-users-about-scam-ads-on-facebook-and-instagram-lawsuit-says-193220235.html&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/VIgMq04uZnGeVQPSspjjkw&#8211;\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyMDA7aD03OTg-\/https:\/\/d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net\/images\/2026-03\/e569ae28-4cca-46e6-b6c7-85c08798fa42&#8243;] Social media Meta has misled users about scam ads on Facebook and Instagram, lawsuit says The company is being sued by the nonprofit Consumer Federation of America. Karissa Bell Senior reporter Tue, April 21, 2026 at 7:32 PM UTC Add Engadget on Google Tue, April 21, 2026 at 7:32 PM UTC (Photo [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,63],"class_list":["post-1895662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-engadget-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1895662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1895662"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1895662\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1895662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1895662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1895662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}