Who are the primary targets of these sophisticated scam ads?

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The primary targets of these sophisticated scam ads are predominantly senior citizens.

Scam advertisers are leveraging Meta's platforms, Facebook and Instagram, to promote fraudulent government benefits, with a significant focus on reaching older adults. These campaigns have collectively spent tens of millions of dollars, utilizing tactics such as deepfake videos of American politicians to lure victims.
Seniors are targeted with fake government benefit promotions.
A watchdog group, the Tech Transparency Project (TTP), identified 63 advertisers who collectively spent US$49 million on Meta's platforms. These advertisers frequently directed their promotions towards seniors, offering non-existent stimulus checks, government spending cards, and healthcare payments. The ads have managed to reach tens of thousands of users on these platforms.
Deepfake videos of politicians are used to promote scams.
The scam ads employ advanced artificial intelligence, including deepfake videos of prominent American politicians like former President Donald Trump. One specific instance involved an advertiser using a deepfake of Trump falsely promising stimulus checks, directing users to a website for a purported "FREE US$5,000 Check from Trump."
The Federal Trade Commission has noted a rise in scams targeting older adults.
Professional fact-checkers have been cautioning about fake stimulus check offers on social media for years. This issue has escalated, with the Federal Trade Commission reporting a more than four-fold increase since 2020 in complaints from older adults. These individuals have lost substantial sums, sometimes their entire life savings, to scammers impersonating trusted government agencies or businesses.
Meta has removed scam ads, yet many persist.
While Meta prohibits scams and states it invests in prevention, TTP's report indicates that nearly half of the identified scam advertisers continued to run ads as of Tuesday, despite their advertisements having been removed within the past 12 months for policy violations. Some of these scam accounts had spent over US$1 million before being disabled or deleted.

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Who are the primary targets of these sophisticated scam ads?

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