Social-media giant Meta is now being scrutinized by the cybersecurity movement Scam Watch Pilipinas for allowing the widespread abuse of Facebook by scammers, calling out the tech giant’s failure to detect and remove fake accounts as a key factor behind the surge in online fraud and disinformation targeting Filipino users.

Scam Watch Pilipinas co-founder Jocel de Guzman said fake accounts are being used to publish sponsored scam ads, impersonate public figures, news outlets, and brands, and spread false information at scale.

He said Meta’s platforms, particularly Facebook, have become a “breeding ground” for digital exploitation due to lax enforcement and flawed content moderation systems.

“Fake accounts are the root cause of online scams and fake news on Facebook, and Meta has allowed them to thrive,” De Guzman said.

Moreover, De Guzman stressed that scammers and fake news peddlers are exploiting Facebook’s advertising system to run paid, sponsored posts that appear credible, often mimicking reputable news organizations, well-known brands, celebrities, prominent businessmen or government agencies and are used to promote fake investment schemes, fraudulent giveaways, or phishing websites, tricking users into surrendering personal information or funds.

Ad verification process

The Scam Watch Pilipinas official also raised concerns about Meta’s ad verification process, which it described as largely automated and easy to circumvent.

Scammers and fake news peddlers can slightly alter their content to evade detection, allowing harmful ads to remain live for extended periods, often without consequence.

Cloned Facebook pages that imitate legitimate news outlets, businesses, journalists, influencers, or celebrities are also commonly used in scams and fake news, De Guzman said.

These pages are created and operated using fake accounts, yet Meta struggles to detect and remove them before they cause harm.

With this, De Guzman warned that many scam posts contain links to phishing websites, which Facebook’s current filtering system fails to reliably detect.

As a result, users are often redirected to fraudulent pages designed to steal login credentials or financial information.

Facebook’s algorithm is also under scrutiny, with De Guzman pointing out that the platform tends to boost sensational or emotionally charged content, a pattern that scammers exploit to increase the reach of fake news, miracle cures, and cryptocurrency frauds—most of which are propagated by networks of fake accounts.

Even when users report deepfake videos, scam posts, or suspicious pages, Meta often issues templated responses claiming the content does not violate community standards, which, according to De Guzman, lacks accountability for Meta, which emboldens scammers and frustrates users who are trying to protect themselves.

“Until Meta gets serious about removing fake accounts and enforcing real safeguards, it will continue to be complicit in the spread of online scams and disinformation in the Philippines,” De Guzman added.

Hence, Scam Watch Pilipinas has urged Meta to implement stronger detection tools, introduce meaningful identity verification for advertisers and page owners, and collaborate more transparently with regulators and civil society to protect users from digital harm.