Scambook: How Meta helps Medicare scammers target seniors
Center for Countering Digital Hate | A report from the CCDH outlines how Meta has profited at least $12 million in a single year by allowing ads that specifically target older adults in Medicare Advantage scams.
The ads promise thousands of dollars of free benefits through Medicare. Instead of delivering on the promise of free groceries and rent, the organizations behind the ads use respondents' personal data to manipulate people into switching to Medicare plans with higher costs and reduced access to medical care.
Ads from 30 of the top Medicare scammers generated 215 million impressions on Facebook in the past year, six times the reach of all previous years on record combined.
The ads use tactics that violate Meta’s advertising rules, including promoting:
Non-existent free benefits
Impersonation of government agencies
AI-generated endorsements from Joe Biden, Oprah Winfrey, Donald Trump, and others
Fake enrollment deadlines to create a sense of urgency
Meta routinely removes ads, but they’ve often generated millions of dollars for Meta before they’re removed. The longer an ad runs, the more revenue they provide. They’re quickly replaced with identical copies, and disabled advertiser accounts are quickly replaced as well.
The report aligns with last year’s Reuters investigations that exposed Meta’s own internal documentation related to revenue from and handling of ads for scams and banned goods.
Key findings from the CCDH report:
Meta is helping Mediacare scammers reach more users and target seniors
Meta fails to take action against Medicare scams
Policymakers must introduce reforms to hold platforms like Meta accountable
Self-Regulation by Social Media Platforms Is Not Working
Review the full report to see CCDH’s specific policy recommendations to address the surge of fraudulent Medicare Advantage ads on social media platforms. CCDH provides specific recommendations for:
Federal Reforms to Section 230
The Federal SCAM Act
State Legislation on Liability for Deceptive Acts, Know Your Advertiser Safeguards, and Reporting Requirements
Download Scambook: How Meta helps Medicare scammers target seniors
About CCDH
The mission of the Center for Countering Digital Hate is to make the internet safer. Social media and AI companies erode basic human rights and civil liberties by enabling the spread of online harms. These companies deny the problem, deflect the blame, and delay taking responsibility. The CCDH holds them accountable and responsible for their business choices by highlighting their failures, educating the public, and advocating change from platforms and governments to protect our communities.
