US senators Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal are pushing for investigations into Meta's ad practices on Facebook and Instagram, specifically targeting ads that promote scams and banned products. They have reached out to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), urging them to take action against Meta to recover profits from these ads, which they claim could amount to around $16 billion—10% of Meta's projected annual revenue for 2024. Internal documents reportedly show that Meta generates $3.5 billion from “higher risk” scam ads every six months, raising serious concerns about the effectiveness of its anti-fraud measures. The senators express doubt about Meta's commitment to combating scams, citing examples from Meta’s Ad Library that feature ads for illicit gambling, payment scams, and deepfake services. They highlighted that Meta itself estimated its platforms were involved in a third of all scams in the US, with Americans losing an estimated $158.3 billion to scams last year. Their letter also points out that Meta has cut its safety staff while investing heavily in generative AI, which raises further concerns about the company's priorities. Hawley and Blumenthal are particularly worried about fake ads impersonating government officials, including a fraudulent ad claiming that Donald Trump was offering money to food assistance recipients. They claim that despite warnings, Meta continues to host ads featuring deepfakes of political figures. The senators attribute the beneficiaries of these scams to various cybercrime groups operating from countries like China, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and the Philippines.