Meta removes dozens of ads after India flags fake porn app scam
Meta on Monday removed dozens of advertisements from Facebook and Instagram after India's government flagged a pattern of ads using sexually explicit content to lure users into downloading malware that could steal banking credentials and drain bank accounts, according to a Reuters report.
The Indian government said ads operating under names such as "Night Play" and "Kyss" directed users to phishing websites, and that it had observed a rise in financial fraud involving what it described as "malicious Android applications masquerading as pornography apps." The advisory warned that such apps could secretly access information stored on users' phones, capture one-time passwords and bank PINs, and transfer money from accounts without the owner's knowledge.
Reuters found at least 39 such ads still active after the government advisory was issued on Monday, many using sexually explicit video thumbnails to attract clicks. Meta took down all of the ads shortly after Reuters flagged them to the company and sought comment on the advisory. Meta did not respond to Reuters queries.
The S. technology giant's advertising policies state that ads "must not contain adult nudity and sexual activity," and also prohibit ads for "products, services, schemes or offers using identified deceptive or misleading practices," including those intended to scam users out of money.
One ad that remained active led to a website promoting a video app that promised hundreds of pornographic videos and round-the-clock content, and required users to download a file named apk" outside an official app store, Reuters reported.
India recorded nearly $2.4 billion in cyber-fraud losses in 2025, government data shows, as scam operators increasingly target the country's digital-payments boom.
This is the second time in recent weeks that India has raised concerns about financial fraud on a major technology platform. Reuters previously reported that the government directed Google to shut down hundreds of accounts on its Firebase platform after finding criminals were using the service to impersonate major banks.
Meta had internally projected that scam and banned goods advertising would generate about 10% of its 2024 revenue, or roughly $16 billion, even as the company says it is cracking down on such ads, Reuters reported last year.