Deepfake Scams by Meta: Threatening Seniors and Politics

Published Date : 10/3/2025 

An investigation by the Tech Transparency Project reveals that Meta platforms are rife with deepfake ads impersonating political figures to promote fake government benefits, targeting vulnerable seniors and undermining political integrity. 

By now, it is hardly a secret that social media, and Facebook in particular, has become a breeding ground for misinformation. Already a target for foreign actors seeking to sow discord and partisan hostility, the platform’s ties to AI development have made it a hotbed for AI-generated content such as memes, images, and advertisements.

A new investigation by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) has uncovered a disturbing trend: scammers are heavily investing in Facebook ads that use deepfake videos of prominent political figures to promote fictitious government benefits. These ads come from groups with names like I Love My Freedom, End the Wokeness, and Get Covered Today.

“Scammers who use deepfake videos of Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and lawmakers like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders to promote fake government benefits are among the top political ad spenders on Meta platforms,” the TTP report states. Sixty-three scam advertisers are responsible for 150,000 political ads on Meta platforms, spending a staggering 49 million dollars, making them among the top political ad spenders on Facebook and Instagram in 2025.

These scams target seniors with dubious incentives such as fake stimulus checks, government spending cards, and Medicare payments, alongside traditional investment scams and snake oil sales. The victims are often seniors who are active on social media but lack the digital literacy needed to identify scams and deepfake media.

“The findings show how scammers are taking advantage of advances in artificial intelligence technology, public confusion around the status of social safety net programs, and lax Meta content moderation to target new victims,” TTP notes. “Meta is allowing this activity even though it prohibits scams and says it invests in scam prevention to keep users safe.”

Despite Meta’s claims of robust content moderation, the TTP investigation found that all 63 scam advertisers had ads removed by Meta within the past 12 months for violating the company’s policies. However, nearly half (30) continued to advertise as of September 30, 2025. Meta did not respond to TTP’s request for comment but made a statement to the New York Times, saying it will “invest in building new technical defenses.”

Social media companies have been promising to make their platforms safe and secure for years, yet the fraud problem continues to escalate. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults have experienced some form of online scam or attack. Some older adults have lost their life savings to scammers.

It is past time to stop taking Meta’s assurances at face value. The company claims to be “constantly working” to weed out scams, but a May 2025 report from the Wall Street Journal asserts that “current and former employees say Meta is reluctant to add impediments for ad-buying clients who drove a 22 percent increase in its advertising business last year to over $160 billion.” Meta knows some of these are scammers, but the revenue is too lucrative to ignore.

TTP’s research, conducted using Meta’s Ad Library, found that Meta subjects political ads to an “enhanced level of scrutiny.” Nonetheless, it identified dozens of advertisers running scam ads targeting U.S. users. For example, during the 90-day period from April 3 to July 1, 2025, at least 45 scam advertisers spent more than 18 million dollars on Meta platforms.

In its conclusion, TTP states, “Even when Meta disables these accounts or removes the ads, the damage has already been done to consumers – and the company has already profited.” The mass availability of generative AI tools is likely to further exacerbate the problem unless Meta improves the enforcement of its own policies.

Efforts are being made on the biometrics front to combat this issue. Meta already has a facial recognition system that flags suspicious celebrity faces in ads (so-called “celeb-bait”) and matches them to the profile photo of the celebrity in question to determine if they are real. Last month, the government of Singapore ordered Meta to deploy its biometric systems to crack down on government official impersonation scams.

However, the current situation underscores a concerning truth: AI is advancing rapidly, but the laws and protections in place for everyday Americans are dangerously outdated. U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, whose likeness has been used to push fake benefit scams, stated, “AI is advancing rapidly, but the laws and protections we have in place for everyday Americans are dangerously outdated.”

Stronger regulations for AI are not high on the list of priorities for a U.S. administration that has tried to block any AI regulation for ten years. As such, the problem is likely to get worse before it gets better. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS): 

Q: What is the main issue highlighted in the TTP investigation?

A: The main issue is that scammers are using deepfake videos of political figures to promote fake government benefits through Facebook and Instagram ads, targeting vulnerable seniors.

Q: How much money are scammers spending on these ads?

A: Scammers are spending a staggering 49 million dollars on 150,000 political ads on Meta platforms, making them among the top political ad spenders in 2025.

Q: What steps is Meta taking to combat these scams?

A: Meta claims to be investing in new technical defenses and has a facial recognition system to flag suspicious celebrity faces in ads, but the enforcement of its policies is lacking.

Q: Why are seniors particularly vulnerable to these scams?

A: Seniors are often active on social media but lack the digital literacy needed to identify scams and deepfake media, making them easy targets for scammers.

Q: What are the broader implications of these scams?

A: These scams not only defraud individuals but also undermine political integrity and highlight the need for stronger AI regulations and protections for consumers. 

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