Mark Cuban Says Facebook Knowingly Runs AI Deepfake Scam Ads, Meta Docs Show $16 Billion in Fraud-Linked Revenue

Mark Cuban says Facebook knowingly runs AI deepfake scam ads using copies of his face and voice, while internal Meta documents reported by Reuters pointed to roughly $16 billion in revenue tied to scams and prohibited products. Cuban, 68, said he receives weekly emails from people who believe he sells a $294 diabetes cure. Meta has disputed the documents' framing and said complaints about scam ads fell 58% over the prior 18 months.

Cuban says Meta lets scam ads stay live

Cuban said the ads are deepfakes made with an AI copy of his face and voice, and Meta runs them anyway. He said some ads even include a disclaimer saying the person on screen is AI-generated and the clip is meant as entertainment, but he argued the pitch has already worked by then. Cuban called the platform "the worst of the worst" and said a company that lets scammers target older people has shown what it will tolerate at every level. He also co-founded Cost Plus Drugs, an online pharmacy that sells low-cost generic medications.

Internal documents put fraud-linked revenue at about $16 billion

On Nov. 6, 2025, Reuters reported on internal Meta documents showing the company expected roughly $16 billion, or about 10% of its 2024 revenue, to come from ads pushing scams and prohibited products. Meta's internal count said users across its apps were seeing some 15 billion "higher risk" ads a day, with obvious markers of fraud. One late 2024 document put that category's value at about $7 billion a year. In a May 2025 presentation, Meta safety staff estimated the company's platforms play a part in a third of scams that succeed in the U.S.

The documents also said Meta's automated systems must judge an advertiser at least 95% likely to be running a scam before a ban, and that suspected scammers below that threshold pay more per ad and stay live. Meta spokesman Andy Stone told Reuters the documents "present a selective view that distorts Meta's approach to fraud and scams," and called the 10% estimate "rough and overly-inclusive." He said complaints about scam ads fell 58% over the prior 18 months and that Meta removed more than 134 million scam ads in 2025. The same documents note the Securities and Exchange Commission is looking into Meta over advertising tied to financial fraud.

Separately, a Toronto man let Meta's AI agent run his Facebook Marketplace listings on Sept. 26, and it gave a buyer his street address and accepted a lowball offer. He later traced part of the problem to a permission setting he had picked.

Older adults report the largest losses

Older Americans lose more to this kind of crime than any other age group. People 60 and older told the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center they lost $7.7 billion in 2025 across 201,266 complaints, 59% more money than the year before, according to the bureau's 2025 Internet Crime Report. Investment schemes caused $3.5 billion in damage, while tech and customer support scams took another $1.04 billion. AI appeared in more than 3,100 complaints, and those victims lost over $352 million. The figures count only people who reported losses, so unreported cases are not included.

How to protect yourself and family

Anytime you see a famous face advertising something pop up in your feed, assume it is fake, including Cuban. Run the product's name through a search with the word "scam" next to it. Then think about who in your family is on Facebook the most and send them a warning. If you suspect anything fishy, file a report the same day to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. The FBI froze $32.9 million worth of funds tied to older victims' cases in 2025, but it can only chase money it knows about. Moneywise reached out to Meta for comment on Cuban's reply but did not immediately receive a response.

Sources: finance.yahoo.com