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Meta is earning a fortune on a deluge of fraudulent ads, documents show

⁨201⁩ ⁨likes⁩

Submitted ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨JensSpahnpasta@feddit.org⁩ to ⁨technology@lemmy.world⁩

https://www.reuters.com/investigations/meta-is-earning-fortune-deluge-fraudulent-ads-documents-show-2025-11-06/

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Comments

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  • Pika@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    don’t get me started on their malicious ads system. My grandfather calls me AT LEAST once a week because he clicks one of the posts on facebook and it brings him to a “your computer has a virus please call this number” scare page. I basically have had to tell him “if it says sponsored just don’t click it” because Meta has like no vetting system it seems.

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    • socphoenix@midwest.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      Not just no vetting the odd time I’m in there I report that shit and they NEVER take it down. Just say they deemed it “didn’t go against facebook’s community standards.”

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    • nukeforyou@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      Why not install an adblocker on his browser of choice?

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      • Pika@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

        he currently has an adblocker and a pihole setup to filter DNS, but that only works so well with facebook.

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      • jmbreuer@lemmy.ml ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

        Which adblocker can block Facebook ad posts?

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  • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Really raises the question of how profitable these scam ads have become.

    Also speaks to the addictive quality of social media (or perhaps the grim state of offline society). People keep coming back to these obviously booby-trapped websites to claw at a thin veneer of simulated friendship because they’ve got nothing better to do with their lives.

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    • brucethemoose@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      Really raises the question of how profitable these scam ads have become.

      It does, doesn’t it?

      If Meta is literally making billions from ads, how much are the scammers buying them making?

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      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

        What are they supposed to do?

        My grandparents spent a lot of time playing tennis and bridge, knitting, and fishing.

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    • sepi@piefed.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      I don’t use fb at all. Never used it. Always thought it was stupid. My lifeis unaffected by this. I never ever go to the garbage that is fb for any reason.

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  • Greddan@feddit.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Meta, Alphabet and Microsoft are all criminal organisations whose been found guilty of multiple crimes and shows no sign of remorse or change of behaviour. Shareholders and employees with these companies should be held accountable, if not legally, then socially.

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  • SuiXi3D@fedia.io ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    I use Facebook (I know) daily and I go out of my way to hide and/or report every ad I see. The vast majority are displayed alongside Reels (which is its own problem) but a few are just… regular reels, masquerading as ads. It’s incredibly frustrating. I don’t expect anything to be done, similar to my reporting hate speech against gay and trans folks.

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    • dmtalon@infosec.pub ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      I use Facebook behind as many adblockers as I can, I use social fixer on top of that (browser extension that helps prune FB even more)

      In my phone, on the app, this doesn’t prevent them from suggesting friends, suggesting reels, suggesting random people or pages to follow

      I use fb mostly for groups not just telling everyone what I’m doing or carrying about what everyone else is.

      But I make it to 1-3 things I have to hide (x out of) and I just bounce, close and pause the app

      Like if I open fb and I immediately see a post asking me to follow something I just get out and open lemmy…

      Screw meta

      I run PiHole in my house I VPN to my house when away to get that sweet ad blocking I run unlock origin I run social fixer

      I don’t see actual ads in FB just their BS they want me to interact with over my actual feed

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