Meta is expected to make billions from scam ads in 2024, with leaked internal files showing the social media giant planned to pocket roughly $16 billion—about 10 percent of total earnings—from running ads that peddle scams and banned goods, according to a Reuters investigation reported this week.
The findings reveal how the company that owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp has failed to properly identify and stop what investigators call an avalanche of dodgy advertisements. These ads have exposed users to everything from fake investment schemes to illegal online casinos to fraudulent e-commerce sites selling banned medical products. Reuters cited a December 2024 document showing the platform pushed out an estimated 15 billion higher risk advertisements to users each day—that’s 15B bad ads hitting people’s feeds on average every single day.
The Money Trail Behind Meta’s Scam Problem
Here’s where it gets really interesting. Another document from late last year reportedly said the company earns about $7 billion in annualized revenue from these questionable ads every year. That’s not pocket change—it’s a massive chunk of income that raises hard questions about why Meta hasn’t cracked down harder on this stuff.
Think about what this means for you as a user. Every time you scroll through Facebook or Instagram, there’s a good chance you’re seeing content that Meta knows is fraudulent but continues to profit from anyway. The leaked documents show executives were fully aware of how much money was flowing in from policy-violating content, yet the ad-personalization system kept pumping out more of the same garbage to billions of people worldwide.
Big Spenders Get a Free Pass
The investigation uncovered something that should make your blood boil. The leaked documents suggested Meta was shockingly slow to crack down even after becoming aware of what they internally called the “scammiest scammers.” Reuters noted that some big spenders—known within the company as “High Value Accounts“—were actually able to accumulate more than 500 strikes without being shut down. Let that sink in: 500 strikes.
The documents reportedly showed that these high-risk advertisers got special treatment because they were dumping serious cash into Meta’s coffers. While regular users who violate community standards get banned quickly, these scammers kept running their operations month after month. The outlet also found that enforcement teams seemed more concerned with keeping the money flowing than protecting people from fraudulent content.
Your Clicks Make You a Bigger Target
Here’s something that’ll probably creep you out: the investigation found that users who clicked on scam ads were more likely to see additional ones because of how Meta’s ad-personalization system works. The algorithm tries to deliver ads based on what it thinks are your interests. So if you accidentally click on one sketchy ad, the system assumes you want more and starts flooding your feed with similar scams.
This creates a really messed up cycle. Vulnerable people—maybe seniors unfamiliar with online fraud, or folks going through financial stress—get targeted once and then can’t escape. The same technology that’s supposed to show you relevant content about your actual hobbies becomes a trap that funnels additional fraudulent e-commerce and investment pitches your way. The NewsNation team found evidence that this targeting approach has created an entire ecosystem where scammers can easily reach their most vulnerable targets.
What This Means for Everyone on Social Media
These revelations land at a moment when regulators worldwide are already circling social media platforms. The leaked files give us hard proof of something many suspected: Meta knows exactly how much it makes from harmful content and apparently factors that into business decisions.
The Reuters investigation showed that Meta’s executives track this revenue stream carefully. They know which ads violate policies, they know how much money those ads generate, and they’ve projected that income out into 2024 and beyond. The company even has special categories for these high-risk advertisers and detailed Strike systems that somehow allow the worst offenders to keep operating.
For regular users trying to stop getting hit with fraudulent pitches for fake weight-loss pills, bogus investment opportunities, or illegal gambling sites, these documents confirm what you probably already suspected: the sale of your attention to scammers is baked into Meta’s business model. Until regulators force real change or the financial incentives shift, that avalanche of sketchy ads will likely keep coming your way.
