Meta has launched a sweeping legal crackdown on deepfake‑driven scams, filing lawsuits in Brazil and China against individuals and companies accused of using AI‑generated celebrity impersonations to push fraudulent ads across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The company said the coordinated schemes exploited the rapid rise of AI tools capable of producing convincing fake videos and voice clips, making online fraud harder than ever to detect.
The tech giant said it is pursuing legal action against four advertisers who impersonated well‑known public figures and brands to deceive users and promote bogus products or investment schemes. Meta warned that deepfake‑powered scams are becoming a global criminal industry, with fraudsters using fabricated endorsements to lure victims into unsafe purchases or financial traps.
In Brazil, Meta filed suit against B&B Suplementos e Cosmeticos, Brites Academia de Treinamento, and two individuals accused of running a scam that used deepfakes of a prominent physician to market unapproved health products. According to the company, Brites also profited by selling courses that taught others how to replicate the same deceptive tactics.
One of the impersonated figures, renowned oncologist Drauzio Varella, criticized Meta’s response as insufficient, telling O Globo that the company’s platforms had become “partners in the fraud” due to their vast reach. He argued that the legal action represented only “a drop in the ocean of fraud against public health,” and accused Meta of profiting from the spread of misleading ads.
Meta also filed lawsuits against Vitor Lourenco de Souza and Milena Luciani Sanchez for similar deepfake‑based schemes in Brazil.
In China, the company sued Shenzhen Yunzheng Technology, alleging it used celebrity‑bait ads to target users in the United States, Japan, and other countries as part of a broader investment scam. A separate lawsuit was filed against Vietnamese firm Ly Van Lam, accused of running fraudulent ads promoting counterfeit Longchamp luxury handbags.
The legal actions highlight Meta’s growing effort to confront the surge in AI‑enabled fraud, a challenge that is rapidly reshaping the global fight against online deception.
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