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A shocking new report claims scam networks on Facebook are reaching millions of older Americans with deceptive ads featuring fake celebrity endorsements, bogus Medicare offers and promises of free cash, groceries and gas, while Meta struggles to stop repeat offenders from buying ads again and again.

Researchers say the scale is staggering.

According to a report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, 30 of the most active scam accounts on Facebook generated an estimated 215 million impressions over the last year. Nearly three quarters of those impressions came from users over the age of 65, making seniors the primary target of the schemes.

The report, scheduled for release Tuesday, was shared in advance with NBC News by the advocacy and research organization, which investigates social media platforms and online harms.

Many of the ads used fake or manipulated images and videos of high profile figures including Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Harvey, Brad Pitt and even Bart Simpson.

The goal was simple but highly effective: get vulnerable users to click.

One ad highlighted in the report told viewers, “Don’t be an idiot. Claim it now,” while promoting supposed Medicare benefits that included $3,600 for groceries, rent and gas.

But researchers say the promised benefits never materialized.

Instead, victims allegedly had their personal data harvested or were pushed into unsuitable Medicare programs designed to generate profits for scammers.

Researchers Say Meta Keeps Letting Repeat Offenders Return

The Center for Countering Digital Hate argues that Meta is not merely missing isolated scams, but repeatedly allowing nearly identical fraudulent ads back onto the platform after removals.

“Meta is more than an unwitting participant. The company allows ads to reappear on its platform after being removed, even when they are nearly identical,” Imran Ahmed, the center’s CEO, said in a statement.

Meta said Monday that it is reviewing the findings.

“Scammers are determined criminals who use increasingly sophisticated tactics to defraud people and evade detection on our platforms and across the internet,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement.

“We aggressively fight scams on and off our platforms because they’re not good for us or the people and businesses that rely on our services,” he said. “We removed over 159 million scam ads last year alone — 92% of which we took down before anyone reported them — launched new tools to protect people, and partnered with law enforcement around the globe to disrupt these criminals.”

Still, critics say the problem has persisted for years.

Meta has repeatedly faced scrutiny over ads involving weight loss drugs, AI nudification apps and illegal opioids. Last month, an investigation by Reset Tech documented deceptive health ads targeting users in Europe.

Millions in Scam Advertising Revenue Under Scrutiny

The report estimates that Medicare related scammers spent about $12.4 million on Meta ads over the past year, with total scam related ad spending reaching roughly $14.3 million.

Researchers stressed those numbers are likely underestimates because Meta’s public ad library only includes ads tied to “social issues, elections or politics,” leaving many advertisements outside public view.

The findings add fuel to mounting legal pressure against Meta.

Several class action complaints accuse the company of profiting from scam ads while failing to adequately protect users.

In one federal case in Oakland, three Facebook users allege the platform benefited financially from online fraud schemes. Meta has argued in court filings that Facebook is provided “as is,” adding that the company makes no guarantees the platform will always be safe or error free.

Last month, the Consumer Federation of America filed another class action complaint accusing Meta of downplaying the scale of scams while exaggerating its anti fraud protections.

A hearing in that case is scheduled for July.

Meanwhile, Santa Clara County filed a similar lawsuit Monday, according to Reuters.

Repeat Violators Allegedly Allowed to Keep Advertising

One of the report’s most alarming claims involves advertisers with extensive histories of policy violations who allegedly continued buying ads anyway.

Researchers identified an account called Golden Help For All that reportedly accumulated 1,335 policy violations while still remaining active on the platform.

The Facebook page has since disappeared, and an email associated with the account reportedly bounced back.

The report also found major inconsistencies in Meta’s enforcement system.

In one example, 86 ads using the exact same video were submitted. Meta rejected 48 versions for violating rules but approved 38 nearly identical copies, researchers said.

Meta declined to answer questions about specific advertisers.

Families Say Seniors Are Being Manipulated

For families of elderly Facebook users, the scams have become deeply personal.

Marissa Garcia, who lives with her 79 year old grandmother in Las Vegas, said she has repeatedly had to intervene after her grandmother encountered misleading content on Facebook.

Garcia recalled one incident where her grandmother began speaking on the phone with someone requesting her Medicare beneficiary number and other sensitive information.

“It’s frankly disgusting that they’re allowing this to keep happening,” Garcia said.

“Hosting these kinds of scams on Facebook lends credibility for seniors,” she added. “One of the things my grandmother said to me was ‘If this was a scam, why would it be on Facebook?’”

That trust, researchers say, is exactly what scammers exploit.

Fake Trump Medicare Ad Reached Hundreds of Thousands Before Removal

The report points to a December ad purchased by a Facebook page using the name Walton Cook.

The ad featured a fake video appearing to show Trump promoting free “grocery allowance cards.” The linked website included terms like “Medicare” and “benefits,” creating what researchers described as a misleading appearance of legitimacy.

Meta eventually removed the ad for “Unacceptable Business Practices.”

But by then, it had already generated between 200,000 and 250,000 impressions across Facebook and Instagram.

According to Meta’s public ad library, the advertiser spent between $10,000 and $15,000 promoting the ad during its roughly 21 hour run.

About 63% of viewers were age 65 and older, with the largest audiences located in Texas, Florida and North Carolina.

“One reason that scammers might find it particularly attractive to advertise on Meta’s platforms is that it enables them to target seniors,” the report says.

The Walton Cook Facebook page remains active and did not respond to a request for comment.

Its “about” section includes the line: “Health is like money, we never have a true idea of its value until we lose it.”

Court Battle Over Facebook Scam Liability Continues

The legal fight over Meta’s responsibility for scam ads is far from over.

In 2024, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Meta was partially protected by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the federal law shielding platforms from liability for user generated content.

However, the court also allowed parts of the lawsuit to continue, finding that Meta could still face claims tied to allegedly violating its own terms of service by permitting scam ads to spread.

That case is now pending before the appeals court once again, as pressure intensifies over how social media giants police fraudulent advertising targeting vulnerable Americans.