Senators โDemand Federal โInvestigation into Meta‘s Handling of Scam โฃAds on Facebook and Instagram
Washington D.C.- November 25, 2025 โฃ – U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut)โค have called on โfederal agencies toโ investigate Meta’s role in facilitating and โขprofiting from illicit advertising on Facebook and Instagram.โ in a letter sent today, the senators urged โvigorous enforcement action against โฃthe โคcompany, includingโ the potentialโ for financial penalties andโ a cessation of theโ problematic advertising practices.
The โฃcall for investigation follows a recent Reuters report detailing internal Meta documentsโ from late 2024. โฃThes documents reportedly indicated the company generated approximately $16 billion โคthat year from advertising deemed illicit.One document specifically noted Meta earned $3.5โ billion in โขrevenueโ from “higher risk” scamโ ads every six months.Further,the documents suggestedโข Meta’s anti-fraud rules were not consistently applied to ads that both regulators and company staffโ believed “violated the โขspirit” of its policiesโ againstโค scam advertising.
“If the reporting is accurate, pursue vigorous โenforcement action where appropriate” to force Meta to disgorge profits, pay penaltiesโ and agree to cease running such advertisements,” Hawley andโค Blumenthal wrote in their letter to the federal agencies.
Metaโ responded โto the โReutersโ report by stating โitโ had reduced user reportsโข of scams byโ 58% over the last eighteen months. However, the senatorsโ expressed skepticism regarding the company’s efforts.
“The Hawley-Blumenthal letter makes claims that are exaggerated and wrong,” Meta spokesman Andy Stone said. “We aggressively fight fraud andโข scams because people on our platforms don’t want this content, legitimate advertisers don’t want it and we don’t wantโ it either.”
The senators pointed toโข Meta’s โคpublicly accessible “ad library” as evidence of โongoing issues, stating that a โrecent review revealed “clearly identifiable advertisementsโ for illicit gambling, payment scams, crypto scams, AI deepfake sex services, and fake offers ofโค federal benefits.”
According to Reuters reporting cited in the letter, Meta itself estimated its platforms were involved in a third of all scams โin the U.S. Given that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimates Americans lost $158.3 billion to scams โlast year,the senators suggest Meta could be responsible for over $50 billion in โconsumer loss.The letter alleges Meta โฃhas “consciously chosen to acceptโ ads that promoteโข fraudulent activities.”
The senators also โhighlighted concerns about staffingโข cuts within Meta’s safety teams, including those responsible for FTC-mandated reviews, while simultaneously investing heavily in generative AI projects. They specifically cited examples of fraudulent advertisements impersonating U.S. government entities and political figures, including a fake ad falsely โclaiming President Donald Trump was offering $1,000 to recipients of food assistance.
The โคletter further noted that โthe beneficiaries of these scams are often located in countriesโ including China,โ Sri Lanka, vietnam and the Philippines.
Published November 25, 2025 11:56 am IST.