How much does a corporation actually earn by deceiving users?
Social media fraud "factories" have become a huge shadow economy in recent years. Meta* Corporation announced that last year it removed 10.9 million Facebook * and Instagram* accounts linked to so-called online fraud crime hubs .
The company simultaneously introduced new user protection mechanisms. Systems will begin warning about suspicious activity during communications earlier, when a scam is just beginning. Developers are expanding fraud detection features in Facebook Messenger, adding warnings when attempting to link a new device in WhatsApp, and testing Facebook notifications that will flag suspicious friend requests.
The company simultaneously announced an international operation against fraudulent centers in Southeast Asia. Joint efforts by intelligence agencies from various countries resulted in 21 arrests, and Meta blocked over 150,000 accounts linked to fraudulent complexes in the region. According to police, the perpetrators targeted several countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and countries in Asia and the Pacific.
Social media and messaging apps have long been a platform for scammers to find victims. Many such schemes revolve around so-called "pig butchering" —investment fraud in which criminals spend time gaining a person's trust and then convince them to invest in fictitious projects. Such operations have become widespread in Southeast Asian countries and have gradually expanded globally.
Meta began publicly discussing the fight against such centers in late 2024. At the time, the company reported blocking over 2 million accounts associated with them. The scale of the operation has now expanded: according to the company, in 2025 alone, 10.9 million accounts and over 159 million ads related to fraud were removed.
Pressure on the company is mounting. Reuters previously reported that billions of fraudulent ads appear on social media every day, and Meta's internal estimates allegedly indicated that up to 10% of its revenue could come from such ads. Company representatives disputed these estimates at the time.
Law enforcement agencies have been conducting a series of raids against fraudulent centers in recent months. These operations have been conducted not only in Southeast Asian countries. For example, in February, Meta assisted in an investigation into a suspected fraud center in Nigeria , conducted by Nigerian police and the UK's National Crime Agency.
The company is also strengthening its advertising controls. Meta plans to increase its share of revenue from verified advertisers to 90% by the end of 2026. Currently, the figure is around 70%. The remaining 10% is earmarked for smaller local businesses and organizations that find complex verification procedures difficult.
To combat fraud, developers are also implementing new artificial intelligence- based systems . Algorithms are attempting to identify cases where scammers impersonate brands, celebrities, or other public figures, and also detect "deceptive links" that lead to malicious websites.
The scale of the fraudulent industry has already reached such a level that no single platform or government can address the problem alone. Meta acknowledges that the fight will continue and will require new technologies and close cooperation with law enforcement agencies across borders.
Social media fraud "factories" have become a huge shadow economy in recent years. Meta* Corporation announced that last year it removed 10.9 million Facebook * and Instagram* accounts linked to so-called online fraud crime hubs .
The company simultaneously introduced new user protection mechanisms. Systems will begin warning about suspicious activity during communications earlier, when a scam is just beginning. Developers are expanding fraud detection features in Facebook Messenger, adding warnings when attempting to link a new device in WhatsApp, and testing Facebook notifications that will flag suspicious friend requests.
The company simultaneously announced an international operation against fraudulent centers in Southeast Asia. Joint efforts by intelligence agencies from various countries resulted in 21 arrests, and Meta blocked over 150,000 accounts linked to fraudulent complexes in the region. According to police, the perpetrators targeted several countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and countries in Asia and the Pacific.
Social media and messaging apps have long been a platform for scammers to find victims. Many such schemes revolve around so-called "pig butchering" —investment fraud in which criminals spend time gaining a person's trust and then convince them to invest in fictitious projects. Such operations have become widespread in Southeast Asian countries and have gradually expanded globally.
Meta began publicly discussing the fight against such centers in late 2024. At the time, the company reported blocking over 2 million accounts associated with them. The scale of the operation has now expanded: according to the company, in 2025 alone, 10.9 million accounts and over 159 million ads related to fraud were removed.
Pressure on the company is mounting. Reuters previously reported that billions of fraudulent ads appear on social media every day, and Meta's internal estimates allegedly indicated that up to 10% of its revenue could come from such ads. Company representatives disputed these estimates at the time.
Law enforcement agencies have been conducting a series of raids against fraudulent centers in recent months. These operations have been conducted not only in Southeast Asian countries. For example, in February, Meta assisted in an investigation into a suspected fraud center in Nigeria , conducted by Nigerian police and the UK's National Crime Agency.
The company is also strengthening its advertising controls. Meta plans to increase its share of revenue from verified advertisers to 90% by the end of 2026. Currently, the figure is around 70%. The remaining 10% is earmarked for smaller local businesses and organizations that find complex verification procedures difficult.
To combat fraud, developers are also implementing new artificial intelligence- based systems . Algorithms are attempting to identify cases where scammers impersonate brands, celebrities, or other public figures, and also detect "deceptive links" that lead to malicious websites.
The scale of the fraudulent industry has already reached such a level that no single platform or government can address the problem alone. Meta acknowledges that the fight will continue and will require new technologies and close cooperation with law enforcement agencies across borders.
