Meta Removes Over 23,000 Scam Pages and Accounts Targeting Users in India and Brazil

Meta has removed over 23,000 Facebook pages and accounts in March that were involved in scam activities targeting users in India and Brazil. The social media company revealed this in a press release on Wednesday, stating that the scammers used advanced techniques like deepfakes to mislead people.

According to Meta, the scammers falsely portrayed well-known personal finance influencers, cricket players, and business figures from both countries to promote fake investment apps and gambling websites. These fake promotions were used to lure people into joining messaging apps for so-called “investment advice” or to visit a fake version of the Google Play Store to download scam gambling apps.

Meta explained that these scams are part of a growing trend of online fraud, including investment and payment scams. Investment scams usually promise high returns through cryptocurrency, real estate, or shares but involve fake or non-existent opportunities. Payment scams include tricks such as advance payment fraud and overpayment refund requests.

To help people protect themselves, Meta shared safety tips and information about tools available across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. These tools include scam warnings in Messenger and features to help users spot suspicious behavior.

The company also said it is working closely with Indian authorities like the Department of Telecommunications, the Department of Consumer Affairs, and the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre to improve digital safety.

Meta urged users to stay cautious and report suspicious activity as part of its ongoing effort to fight scams on its platforms.