Facebook allows repeat scam artists to send ads to seniors, researchers say
Source: NBC News
May 11, 2026, 10:00 PM EDT
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is failing to stop some con artists who repeatedly buy ads on the platforms to target seniors with scams, according to a new report. The report is due to be released Tuesday by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, an advocacy and research organization that investigates social media apps. The organization provided an advance copy to NBC News.
The center found that scam ads targeting seniors are widespread on Facebook. Over the past year, ads from 30 of the most active scam accounts generated an estimated 215 million ad impressions on the platform, according to the report. Seventy-three percent of those impressions came from users over 65, the report says.
Many of the ads lean on fake images or videos of celebrities, including President Donald Trump, former President Joe Biden, television host Oprah Winfrey, entertainer Steve Harvey, actor Brad Pitt and cartoon character Bart Simpson, according to the report and copies of the ads reviewed by NBC News in Meta’s public ad library.
The ads share a common goal: persuading the viewer to click a link to a website or call a phone number. “Don’t be an idiot. Claim it now,” an ad highlighted in the report said, promoting $3,600 in free groceries, rent and gas through Medicare. But after they click through, victims don’t see the riches they’re promised. Instead, their personal data is collected, or they’re steered into worse Medicare programs, the report says.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/meta-allows-repeat-scam-artists-target-seniors-report-says-rcna344068
Link to Center for Countering Digital Hate REPORT (PDF) - https://counterhate.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Scambook_CCDH_Final.pdf
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