Internal documents reveal Meta projected it would earn $16 billion - about 10% of its 2024 revenue - from running ads for scams and banned goods[^1]. The company shows users an estimated 15 billion "higher risk" scam advertisements daily, generating about $7 billion in annual revenue from these fraudulent ads[^2].

Meta's own safety staff estimated that its platforms were involved in one-third of all successful scams in the US, while in Britain, Meta's products were linked to 54% of all payments-related scam losses in 2023[^2].

Rather than aggressively combat fraud, Meta charges suspected scammers higher ad rates as a "disincentive"[^2]. The company's anti-fraud team operates under strict revenue limits - they can only take actions that would reduce ad revenue by 0.15% ($135 million) even though scam ads generate $7 billion yearly[^2].

Internal memos show Meta concluded that potential regulatory fines of up to $1 billion would be far less than their revenue from fraudulent ads[^2]. "It is easier to advertise scams on Meta platforms than Google," stated an internal Meta review from April 2025[^2].

Meta spokesman Andy Stone claimed these documents "present a selective view that distorts Meta's approach to fraud and scams" and said the company had "reduced user reports of scam ads globally by 58 percent" over 18 months[^2].

[^1]: Reuters - Meta is earning a fortune on fraudulent ads [^2]: Gulf Times - Internal documents show Meta is earning a fortune on fraudulent ads

Meta projected 10% of its 2024 revenue would come from ads for scams and banned goods, documents seen by Reuters show. And the social media giant internally estimates that its platforms show users 15 billion scam ads a day. Among its responses to suspected rogue marketers: charging them a premium for ads – and issuing reports on ’Scammiest Scammers.’

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Meta internally projected late last year that it would earn about 10% of its overall annual revenue – or $16 billion – from running advertising for scams and banned goods, internal company documents show.

A cache of previously unreported documents reviewed by Reuters also shows that the social-media giant for at least three years failed to identify and stop an avalanche of ads that exposed Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp’s billions of users to fraudulent e-commerce and investment schemes, illegal online casinos, and the sale of banned medical products.

On average, one December 2024 document notes, the company shows its platforms’ users an estimated 15 billion “higher risk” scam advertisements – those that show clear signs of being fraudulent – every day. Meta earns about $7 billion in annualized revenue from this category of scam ads each year, another late 2024 document states.

Much of the fraud came from marketers acting suspiciously enough to be flagged by Meta’s internal warning systems. But the company only bans advertisers if its automated systems predict the marketers are at least 95% certain to be committing fraud, the documents show. If the company is less certain – but still believes the advertiser is a likely scammer – Meta charges higher ad rates as a penalty, according to the documents. The idea is to dissuade suspect advertisers from placing ads.

The documents further note that users who click on scam ads are likely to see more of them because of Meta’s ad-personalization system, which tries to deliver ads based on a user’s interests.

Meta internally projected late last year that it would earn about 10% of its overall annual revenue – or $16 billion – from running advertising for scams and banned goods, internal company documents show.

A cache of previously unreported documents reviewed by Reuters also shows that the social-media giant for at least three years failed to identify and stop an avalanche of ads that exposed Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp’s billions of users to fraudulent e-commerce and investment schemes, illegal online casinos, and the sale of banned medical products.

On average, one December 2024 document notes, the company shows its platforms’ users an estimated 15 billion “higher risk” scam advertisements – those that show clear signs of being fraudulent – every day. Meta earns about $7 billion in annualized revenue from this category of scam ads each year, another late 2024 document states.