“My grandmother changed her entire Medicare plan based on a Facebook ad.”
Last year, Marissa’s 79-year-old grandmother, from Las Vegas, clicked on an ad promising her a $250 a month grocery stipend through Medicare. It was a scam.
This is what Meta is profiting from. Instead of protecting users, CCDH found that the company earned $14.3 million from scammers.
Marissa’s grandmother is not the first senior to be deceived by Medicare scammers: most of the ads in our dataset target people over 65, with 73% of impressions reaching these users.
An unwanted change in health plans is not just an administrative headache. It can delay important medical care, cause serious financial losses, and put seniors at risk.
“I wish Meta would crack down on these kinds of things. They’re blatantly advertising things that do not exist and cannot be attained to people who are on fixed incomes and are isolated. It’s absolutely cruel,” Marissa told CCDH.
“If this was a scam, why would it be on Facebook?”
Meta’s failure to stop scams that deceive seniors put a strain on the entire family.
Marissa witnessed her grandmother reading her Medicare card number over the phone. She had seen an ad on social media promising thousands of dollars in benefits that would help with rent and groceries.
When Marissa raised her concerns, her grandmother had a simple answer: “If this was a scam, why would it be on Facebook?”
It’s a fair question. And Meta has no good answer.
The ads CCDH identified offer misleading perks with false deadlines, impersonate government agencies, and use false endorsements from deepfake politicians and celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey and Brad Pitt.
They are all in violation of Meta’s own policies.
Marissa’s family reported the scams to Medicare and the Office of the Inspector General. No meaningful action was taken.
After seeing her grandmother fall for more than one Facebook scam, Marissa must constantly watch her: “It is a part-time job for me now.”
Meta lets scammers come back
Meta knows these ads are scams because it regularly removes them — but not fast enough. By the time Facebook took down ads from our dataset, they had already earned Meta $3.7 million.
But it doesn’t end there. It takes little time for the same scammers to re-upload ads carrying identical messages and videos. One advertiser had over 1,000 ads removed and was still allowed to keep creating more.
In 2025, Americans reported losing more than $2 billion to scams that began on social media. More was lost on Facebook than on any other platform, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Meta is hiding behind Section 230. But times are changing
“[Meta is] profiting millions of dollars off a group of people who are just looking for a little bit of help. That’s so disgusting,” said Marissa.
For years, Meta and other tech giants have sheltered under Section 230, the 1996 law shields Big Tech from liability for the content they host and profit from.
It was designed to protect small companies finding their footing online. It now protects some of the most powerful corporations in the world from any accountability for the harm they cause.
But times are changing. Santa Clara County has filed a lawsuit against Meta for profiting from scam ads that have defrauded older and vulnerable people. More must follow.
Congress must reform Section 230. States need to pass laws that address the problem directly. In the meantime, CCDH will keep investigating and exposing the platforms putting your family at risk.
Join us. Help us hold them accountable.
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