The ACCC sues Facebook over scam advertisements
The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has launched a Federal Court case against Facebook owner Meta Platforms, Inc. and Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (together: Meta).
Specifically, the ACCC are suing in response to scam advertising campaigns that are being run through Facebook's advertising platform targeting ordinary Australians. These scam advertisements are using the likeness of prominent Australian public figures such as Dick Smith, David Kosh, Mike Baird and Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest to get users to click scam advertisements for purchasing crypto currencies and training on how to get rich quick via crypto.
I have been targeted by some of these advertisements in question and similar advertising using the likeness of Elon Musk.
“It is a key part of Meta’s business to enable advertisers to target users who are most likely to click on the link in an ad to visit the ad’s landing page, using Facebook algorithms,” ACCC chair Rod Sims said.
Have you been targeted by these advertisements?
I have also been targeted by these ads, but wouldn't trust any ads on Facebook after I was scammed out of $17.50 for a tiny piece of plastic advertised as a needle-threader, which was useless & which I could have bought on eBay for $3! So I told Facebook not to put any advertisements on my newsfeed, & if they do pop up I delete them immediately! I put in a complaint to the Dept. of Fair Trading, but the details of the company were sketchy, the company was overseas, & for all I know changes its name every day! The same with Spam emails advertising Bitcoin or casinos, I delete them as there is probably nothing at the other end except someone in a dingy office trying to scam me out of my money! Once bitten, twice shy!