A leaked set of internal revenue projections reviewed by Reuters claims Meta earns roughly 10 percent of its annual income from ads that promote scams or banned items. With Meta’s total revenue approaching $160 billion, this would translate to around $16 billion coming from the very activity the company publicly insists it is fighting. The documents also suggest Meta repeatedly failed to stem a flood of misleading and fraudulent adverts across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, leaving billions of users exposed.
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The problem isn’t new, but the scale is larger
For years, Meta has talked about major cleanups targeting organized crime networks, fake investment schemes, and pig-butchering operations. The company has removed millions of accounts and rolled out automated systems designed to detect suspicious behavior. Meta told TechRadar Pro that it “aggressively fights fraud” and accused the leaked documents of presenting a selective view of its work. Even so, the internal numbers reveal a troubling reality behind the scenes.
Suspicious advertisers are allowed to keep buying ads
The documents say Meta’s internal fraud-detection models flag risky advertisers, but the company reportedly doesn’t act unless the system reaches a 95 percent certainty that the ad is a scam. That means if Meta judges an ad to be 94 percent likely to defraud people, it still runs. Worse, Meta’s platform reportedly charges higher ad prices to accounts marked as likely scammers. In other words, the ads that pose the highest risk also generate the highest margins.
This creates a structural conflict. Meta earns revenue whether the ads are legitimate or harmful, and the leaked assessments show Meta is fully aware of the economic trade-offs.
Meta weighs fraud revenue against expected fines
Rather than considering a stricter verification process to protect users, the documents reportedly show Meta evaluating how much money scam ads produce compared to the fines regulators might impose if the company fails to curb them. The implication is straightforward. Meta appears more willing to act when external pressure forces its hand, not when internal ethics demand it.
The impact on users is already clear
In the UK alone, Meta products were tied to 54 percent of all payment-related scam losses in 2023. Criminal groups routinely hijack real brands, impersonate public figures, and promote fake investment opportunities. For many victims, the ads looked trustworthy precisely because they appeared on established platforms.
That’s what makes the revenue numbers so concerning. They suggest Meta has allowed a sprawling scam ecosystem to operate because it is profitable, even while knowing the human cost. The company’s public messaging frames fraudsters as fast-moving, sophisticated criminals. The leaked documents hint at something more ordinary: a revenue stream Meta has been unwilling to shut down.
