Role of deepfakes in gambling scams: How Meta is fighting back in India, Brazil
Meta has taken down more than 23,000 Facebook Pages and accounts in March alone, in a crackdown on widespread scam networks that primarily targeted users in India and Brazil. These scams used deepfakes and other deceptive techniques to promote fake investment schemes and gambling apps, the social media giant revealed on Wednesday.
“In March, Meta removed multiple clusters of scam activity totalling over 23,000 Facebook Pages and accounts that primarily targeted people in Brazil and India,” Meta said in a statement.
Deepfakes used to impersonate public figures
Explaining the strategy behind these scams, Meta said that fraudsters created deepfake videos that falsely portrayed well-known personalities — including personal finance influencers, business leaders and even cricket players — as endorsers of fake investment platforms and gambling websites.
Victims were then redirected to messaging apps for fake ‘investment advice’, and in some cases, to a counterfeit version of the Google Play store to download bogus gambling apps.
Broader pattern of investment and payment scams
Meta noted that such fraudulent activity fits into a broader pattern of online investment and payment scams designed to exploit people’s financial anxieties.
“Investment scams are designed to lure people into investing in fraudulent or non-existent opportunities. These scams often promise quick and easy returns with little to no risk on assets like shares of a company, cryptocurrency, real estate or precious metals and coins,” Meta stated.
Scammers often approach people through social media, text messages, emails or calls, offering “exclusive” deals or inviting them to join “investment coaching” groups.
Payment scams, on the other hand, exploit the speed and anonymity of instant payment services. These include advance payment scams, where fraudsters pose as sellers and disappear after receiving payment, and overpayment scams, where fake receipts are used to trick victims into sending refunds.
Meta’s anti-scam advice: Three golden rules
To help people stay protected, Meta issued three key tips:
- Verify investment advice is from a qualified and licensed financial advisor: In the US, you can use the FINRA BrokerCheck or the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure to confirm you’re engaging a licensed and registered investment firm or adviser.
- Recognise classic investment fraud red flags: Promises of guaranteed returns, quick returns or no risk are all classic signs of investment fraud. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Transfer money only to people you know and trust: When using instant payment apps, check whether the app you’re using offers purchase protection. If it doesn’t, you might not be able to get your money back once you’ve sent it.
Messenger alerts, selfie verification, and celeb-bait protection
Meta has also introduced various in-app safety tools to prevent such scams. On Messenger, users may see warnings if there are signs of suspicious activity or if they’re asked to pay before receiving an item.
To fight identity misuse and celeb-bait frauds, Meta has rolled out facial recognition-based selfie verification to help users recover accounts faster. This is optional, Meta clarified.
“Scammers rarely target one platform”
Meta stressed that scammers keep evolving and often operate across multiple platforms. That’s why Meta is working with Indian authorities and civil society to tackle these threats.
This includes partnerships with the Department of Telecommunications and the Department of Consumer Affairs under the ‘Jago Grahak Jago (wake up consumer)’ campaign, as well as training sessions with the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C). Meta has already conducted such training in seven Indian states including Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha and Rajasthan.
“We continue to collaborate with the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) to conduct a series of trainings that help equip law enforcement agencies (LEAs) with skills to address online scams and frauds,” Meta said.
7 million scam-linked accounts disrupted globally
Globally, Meta’s teams have identified and disrupted more than seven million accounts linked to scam operations based in countries like Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, the UAE, and the Philippines since early 2024.
“These criminal organisations target people globally through messaging, dating apps, social media, crypto and other apps,” the company stated.
Privacy check-ups and AI-powered scam defences
To empower users, Meta encourages regular privacy check-ups across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, allowing people to control who can contact them and view personal info like profile photos or online status.
“As part of our continuous efforts to protect people from scammers, we’ll keep sharing regular updates about our work to counter scams more broadly, including safety tips and product updates across our apps,” Meta concluded.
Additionally, Meta has launched the Llama Defenders Program, which gives developers and partners access to AI solutions to detect and prevent scams and phishing attempts.
