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Facebook Sues Indian Co Over Deceptive Coronavirus Scams

By  |  April 13, 2020

Facebook Inc. sued the founder of a software company for running deceptive advertisements on its social-media platforms, including links to investment scams and bogus information about the coronavirus pandemic.

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    Basant Gajjar’s “LeadCloak” software, designed to circumvent automated review systems in Facebook and Instagram, baits users into clicking on links that are unrelated to the ad, according to the lawsuit filed Thursday in California. Facebook said the software pushed deceptive ads for diet pills and drugs and cryptocurrency investment scams.

    Gajjar, who was named as a defendant in the Facebook suit, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. He’s an Indian citizen residing in Thailand, according to the lawsuit.

    LeadCloak has also targeted other technology companies including Google, Oath, WordPress and Shopify, Facebook said in its lawsuit.

    Facebook has faced a surge in malicious actors seeking to take advantage of users’ desperation during the outbreak. In mid-March, the company banned deceptive ads touting protective masks. In many cases, the masks were faulty, overpriced or counterfeit versions of what physicians recommended.

    Still, it’s been difficult for Facebook to remove such ads from its social platforms. The company is relying more on automated systems to solve the problem, because many of its contractors can’t work on the problem from home, for privacy and legal reasons.

    Full Content: Campaign India

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