Donald Trump · Joe Biden · Meta · Data Center · NBC News Tech
Fake Trump and Oprah ads fuel a wave of Medicare scams on Facebook, report confirms
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Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is failing to stop some con artists who repeatedly buy ads on the platforms to target seniors with scams, according to a new report.
Key facts
- The advertiser spent $10,000 to $15,000 on the buy, according to the ad library
- About 63% of the people who viewed the ad were age 65 and older, according to Meta’s metrics, with the top locations of viewers listed as Texas, Florida and North Carolina
- Claim it now,” an ad highlighted in the report said, promoting $3,600 in free groceries, rent and gas through Medicare
- Over the past year, ads from 30 of the most active scam accounts generated an estimated 215 million ad impressions on the platform, according to the report
Summary
The report is due to be released Tuesday by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, an advocacy and research organization that investigates social media apps. The center found that scam ads targeting seniors are widespread on Facebook. Many of the ads lean on fake images or videos of celebrities, including President Donald Trump, former President Joe Biden, television host Oprah Winfrey, entertainer Steve Harvey, actor Brad Pitt and cartoon character Bart Simpson, according to the report and copies of the ads reviewed by NBC News in Meta’s public ad library. The ads share a common goal: persuading the viewer to click a link to a website or call a phone number.