Meta Removes 10.9 Million Scam-Linked Accounts in 2025 and Introduces New Anti-Fraud Features

Meta announced on March 11, 2026, significant steps to combat large-scale online scamming operations. In 2025, the company removed 10.9 million Facebook and Instagram accounts associated with criminal scam centers, a sharp increase from over 2 million in 2024. It also eliminated more than 159 million scam advertisements across its platforms. These efforts target organized ‘scam compounds,’ particularly in Southeast Asia, where coerced workers often run ‘pig butchering’ investment frauds and other schemes affecting victims globally, including in the US, UK, and Asia-Pacific regions.

A key highlight was Meta’s collaboration with international law enforcement, including the Royal Thai Police, FBI, UK’s National Crime Agency, Australian Federal Police, and others. This joint operation led to 21 arrests in Thailand and the disabling of over 150,000 accounts tied to Southeast Asian scam networks. The action built on a December 2025 pilot that removed 59,000 entities and issued arrest warrants.

To enhance user protection, Meta is expanding scam detection in Messenger to more regions, adding warnings for suspicious WhatsApp device linking, and testing Facebook alerts for potentially fraudulent friend requests. The company is also advancing advertiser verification, targeting 90% of ad revenue from verified sources by the end of 2026, and improving AI systems to detect impersonation of brands or celebrities and deceptive links. Despite criticism over past scam ad prevalence and revenue concerns, Meta emphasizes ongoing investments in technology and partnerships to counter these evolving transnational threats.