Leaked Meta Files Show $16 Billion From High‑Risk Ads in 2024
Documents highlight a 95% blocking threshold that illustrates the trade-offs shaping Meta’s fraud enforcement.
Overview
- Reuters published internal records detailing high‑risk ad operations, and Meta called the selection misleading while citing a 58% drop in fraud ad reports and 134 million removals in 2025.
- An internal December 2024 report counted roughly 15 billion daily exposures to ads flagged as high risk on Facebook and Instagram.
- Meta’s systems block advertisers only when fraud likelihood reaches 95% certainty, with lower‑certainty cases facing higher fees rather than immediate removal.
- A May 2025 internal presentation estimated Meta’s platforms were involved in about one‑third of successful scams in the United States.
- The files project about $3.5 billion per half‑year from legally high‑risk ads and acknowledge potential regulatory fines of up to $1 billion.