Meta sues advertisers in Brazil and China over ‘celeb bait’ scams
Meta sued the individuals and groups behind three fraudulent schemes that used celebrity images and deepfakes to lure users to fraudulent websites. According to the company, the three entities were based in China and Brazil and targeted people in the United States, Japan and other countries. The ads promoted fraudulent investment schemes and fake health products.
Meta said it has filed lawsuits against several people in Brazil who promoted counterfeit or unapproved health products and online courses that promoted them. The company also sued a China-based entity that allegedly used ads featuring celebrities “as part of a larger fraudulent scheme that lured people into joining so-called investment groups.” The company did not provide details on how many ads these groups had run on Facebook, how many social media users had seen or interacted with the ads or how long the fraudsters had been operating on the platform.
So-called “celebrity bait” ads have been a long-standing problem for the company. Engadget has previously documented celebrity bait scams on Facebook, including those that frequently use Elon Musk and Fox News personalities to sell fake diabetes cures. The Supervisory Board also criticized the company for not doing enough to combat such scams. In its update, Meta states that “because fraudulent ads are designed to look real, they are not always easy to detect.” The company also said it has now enrolled “more than 500,000” celebrities and public figures into its facial recognition system, intended to automatically detect fraudulent advertisements using the faces of famous people.
Meta’s handling of fraudulent advertisers has come under increased scrutiny in recent months after Reuters reported that the company’s researchers estimated at one point that up to 10% of its advertising revenue could come from scams and banned products. The fact that Meta has made billions of dollars from problematic advertisers has also caused the company to be slow to take action against repeat offenders.
In addition to the groups behind the celebrity bait ads, Meta says it has improved its ability to detect fraudulent ads using masking, which has sometimes hampered its internal review systems. The company also sued a Vietnam-based advertiser that it said used fraudulent ads to sell “deeply discounted items from well-known brands,” including Longchamp.
Meta also filed a lawsuit against eight former “Meta Business Partners,” who promoted services that could “unblock” or other “account restoration services.” The company says it will “consider taking additional legal action, including litigation, if it fails to comply” with the restraining orders.
Updated, February 26, 2026, 1:16 p.m. PT: This story has been updated to clarify that Meta’s internal estimates for ad revenue included scams and banned products.
