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Leaked Documents Show Meta Profited from 15 Billion Daily Scam Ads, Reuters Reports

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Leaked internal documents from Meta have exposed that approximately 10 percent of the company’s total revenue in 2024, estimated at USD 16 billion (about LAK 352,000 billion), came from online advertisements promoting scams and prohibited goods, according to a Reuters report published on 6 November.

The files revealed that Meta’s platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, displayed high-risk advertisements over 15 billion times daily. These ads promoted fake shopping websites, fraudulent investment schemes, illegal online gambling, and prohibited medical products.

More specifically, the documents indicated that Meta earns roughly USD 7 billion (about LAK 154,000 billion) annually from “high-risk” scam ads, those classified as having clear deceptive intent. 

Despite pledging to reduce fake and misleading advertisements, Meta internally expressed concerns that sudden removal of scam content could negatively impact revenue forecasts.

In response to the revelations, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone argued that the leaked materials presented “a selective view” of the company’s approach, noting that the 10 percent estimate was merely a rough assessment including many legitimate ads. Stone stated that over the past 18 months, Meta had reduced user reports of scam ads globally by 58 percent, and that so far in 2025, the company had removed more than 134 million pieces of scam ad content.

However, internal strategy documents show Meta executives plan to gradually reduce revenue from problematic ads from 10.1 percent in 2024 to 7.3 percent by end of 2025, then to 6 percent in 2026 and 5.8 percent in 2027, a timeline that suggests the company intends to continue profiting from such content for years.

According to the report, rather than removing suspicious advertisers, the company employs a “penalty bid” system, charging premium rates to discourage fraudulent postings. However, this approach appears ineffective as scammers simply pay the higher rates to continue advertising.

Most critically, while Meta’s automated systems can detect suspicious advertisers, the company only bans them when more than 95 percent certain they’re scams, a policy that prioritizes revenue over user protection.

These revelations have sparked worldwide concern among experts and regulators about Meta’s advertising model, prompting renewed scrutiny of the company’s accountability for profiting from harmful and illegal online activity.

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