What just happened and why it matters
U.S. lawmakers are calling for a formal investigation into Meta Platforms, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, after new reporting revealed that a significant portion of Meta’s ad revenue may be coming from scam or otherwise illicit advertisements.
Internal documents referenced in news reports show Meta projected that roughly ten percent of its 2024 revenue — about sixteen billion dollars — could come from ads promoting scams or banned goods. Other documents suggest Meta generated more than three and a half billion dollars in six months from higher-risk ad categories. Lawmakers also pointed to estimates that Meta’s platforms may be involved in as much as one third of total scam activity in the United States.
For businesses that depend on Facebook and Instagram ads to drive leads or sales, this development creates a real-world risk that goes beyond headlines. When the platform dominating your ad spend is under scrutiny, it affects cost, targeting stability, brand trust and long-term strategy.
Why your business should care
Platform risk
If federal regulators pursue major action, Meta may be forced to change its ad approval systems, tighten ad policies or adjust its algorithms. Any of these outcomes could influence how quickly ads get approved, how much they cost and how consistently they perform.
Brand safety
Even legitimate advertisers get pulled into the environment they advertise in. If scam-heavy inventory becomes more visible to consumers, trust can erode. A user scrolling past a string of questionable ads will naturally be more skeptical of everything they see — including your brand.
Diversification
This is a reminder that no business should rely exclusively on a single platform. A healthy marketing ecosystem blends paid traffic with strong website performance, organic search, email marketing and automations. The more you own your traffic, the less vulnerable you are.
What business owners should be asking right now
- How dependent are we on Facebook and Instagram for leads?
- What portion of our funnel is vulnerable if Meta’s ad systems tighten or become more expensive?
- Are we building enough owned channels — website, SEO, email, reviews — to stay stable if paid performance fluctuates?
- Do we have monitoring in place to track brand safety and lead quality across every ad network we use?
How we approach this at IseMedia
We treat paid ads as one piece of a larger growth system. Instead of building your entire marketing engine on a single platform, we combine website optimization, SEO, content, automation, creative and paid ads into a diversified structure. If one platform becomes volatile, the entire system does not collapse.
We continuously audit traffic quality and brand safety, and we track cost-per-lead and conversion trends to react quickly when a platform starts shifting. By focusing on both paid and organic growth, businesses stay resilient even when major platforms run into regulatory issues.
What to do next
Review your channel mix
If most of your budget goes to Meta ads, consider adjusting. Test Google Search, Local Service Ads, video ads, retargeting on other networks or even small tests on emerging platforms.
Strengthen your owned media
SEO-optimized content, a high-performance website and consistent review generation protect your growth no matter what happens with paid ads.
Monitor regulatory developments
This story is still unfolding. Staying informed helps you make timely decisions before changes hit your ad account.
Build a safety-first ad strategy
Your ad presence should reflect trust and transparency. Tighten targeting, use higher-quality creatives and monitor your lead flow for suspicious activity.
Final thought
The Meta probe is a warning shot for businesses that place too much trust in a single platform. Ads will continue to work, and Facebook and Instagram will remain dominant, but smart businesses are already building resilience into their marketing. The more control you have over your traffic, your brand and your digital infrastructure, the easier it becomes to thrive even when the biggest platforms come under pressure.
Sources
- Reuters: US senators call for probe of scam ads on Facebook and Instagram
- https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-senators-call-probe-scam-ads-facebook-instagram-2025-11-24/
- Reuters: Meta is earning a fortune on a deluge of fraudulent ads, documents show
- https://www.reuters.com/investigations/meta-is-earning-fortune-deluge-fraudulent-ads-documents-show-2025-11-06/
- The Strait Times: US lawmakers press Meta on scam ads
- https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/us-senators-call-for-probe-of-scam-ads-on-facebook-and-instagram