Meta removes 23,000 deepfake scam pages targeting India and Brazil
Meta removed over 23,000 Facebook Pages and accounts involved in scam networks using deepfake videos to impersonate celebrities and public figures in order to promote fraudulent investment schemes and gambling apps targeting users in India and Brazil.
What happened
Meta removed over 23,000 Facebook Pages and Accounts linked to scam networks primarily targeting users in India and Brazil. The scammers used deepfakes depicting popular personal finance content creators, cricket players and business figures in India and Brazil, falsely showing them endorsing scam investment apps and gambling websites.
Victims who engaged with the content were redirected to messaging apps for 'investment advice'. In some cases, victims were directed to fake websites designed to resemble the Google Play Store, where they were encouraged to download malicious gambling apps.
Reported impact
Users in India and Brazil fell victim to investment scams and payment fraud schemes. The fraudulent networks targeted victims through deepfake impersonations and redirected them to fake investment platforms and malicious apps.
Index analysis
The scams employed deepfake video technology to create false endorsements by public figures, combined with social engineering tactics to direct victims to fraudulent platforms. Meta's response included introducing facial recognition technology to detect and prevent celeb-bait scams and enable faster identity verification for account recovery.
Governance controls
Meta stated it is working with Indian government agencies including the Department of Telecommunications, Department of Consumer Affairs, and the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre. Meta also implemented scam alerts in Messenger and other safety measures across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp platforms.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.