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Mark Cuban says he regularly hears from people who bought fake ads using AI versions of his face and voice to promote a diabetes cure he does not sell. Separately, Reuters reported internal Meta documents estimating that scam and prohibited-product ads generated about $16 billion, or roughly 10% of the company’s 2024 revenue; Meta disputed that estimate as rough and overly inclusive.
Mark Cuban says Facebook continues to run AI-generated ads that imitate his face and voice to sell a diabetes cure he has never offered, and he accused Meta of tolerating scams despite knowing users are being harmed. His allegation comes alongside internal Meta estimates reported by Reuters that ads promoting scams and prohibited products accounted for about $16 billion, or roughly 10% of the company’s 2024 revenue; Meta has challenged that estimate.
On an August episode of the Pivot podcast, hosted by Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway, Cuban said he receives weekly emails from people asking whether a purported diabetes cure works or saying they have bought it for $294. He said the ads use AI-generated copies of his face and voice, and stressed that he has not sold the advertised cure. Cuban co-founded Cost Plus Drugs, an online pharmacy selling lower-cost generic medicines, but the ads he described are not an offer from that business.
Cuban said some ads include a disclaimer that the person shown is AI-generated and the clip is intended as entertainment. He argued that a disclaimer does not prevent consumers from being persuaded before they encounter it. His statements are his account of the ads and user complaints; the supplied reporting does not independently establish how many such ads ran, how many people lost money, or whether Meta reviewed particular examples.
Reuters reported on Nov. 6, 2025, that internal Meta documents put expected 2024 revenue from ads promoting scams and prohibited products at about $16 billion, or 10% of revenue. The documents also estimated that users across Meta’s apps saw about 15 billion “higher risk” ads daily. A late-2024 document valued that category at about $7 billion a year. Those figures are internal estimates, not independently verified totals, and Meta said the $16 billion calculation was rough and overly inclusive.
The Stakes for Scam-Ad Enforcement
The allegations matter because social platforms distribute advertising at enormous scale, while consumers may have difficulty telling a genuine endorsement from a convincing AI impersonation. A fake medical pitch can lead people to spend money on a product that the person shown does not sell, and could expose them to health risks if they rely on unsupported treatment claims. Cuban’s account points to a practical problem: a label identifying synthetic media may not stop deception if users see it only after absorbing the sales pitch.
The Reuters figures raise a separate question about how Meta detects and penalizes suspected fraud. According to the documents, Meta’s automated systems had to assess an advertiser as at least 95% likely to be running a scam before a ban. Below that level, suspected advertisers could remain active by paying more per ad. If accurate, that approach could leave questionable promotions circulating while the platform gathers enough evidence to act. Meta disputes the interpretation and says its documents were presented selectively.
For readers, the issue is not only whether one celebrity’s likeness was copied. It is whether advertising safeguards can keep pace with AI-generated impersonation, and whether companies’ enforcement systems prioritize preventing consumer harm or limiting false positives. The available material does not settle that question, but it puts user complaints, company estimates and regulatory attention in the same debate.
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What Meta’s Internal Records Describe
The internal documents cited by Reuters described both the volume of risky advertising and Meta’s estimates of its role in successful fraud. A May 2025 presentation by Meta safety staff reportedly estimated that the company’s platforms played a part in one-third of scams that succeeded in the United States. That is an internal estimate reported by Reuters, not a government finding or a measure independently confirmed in the source material.
The documents also said the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission was looking into Meta over advertising tied to financial fraud. The supplied reporting does not give details about the scope or status of that inquiry, and it does not say that regulators have reached a conclusion. The SEC reference should therefore be understood as an investigation reported in the documents, not a finding that Meta violated the law.
Meta spokesman Andy Stone told Reuters that the documents offered a “selective view” that distorted the company’s approach to scams. He said user complaints about scam ads had fallen 58% over the previous 18 months and that Meta removed more than 134 million scam ads in 2025. Those are figures the company provided; the source material does not specify the complaint-count baseline or independently verify the removal total.
“Facebook knows the little old ladies are getting ripped off.”
— Mark Cuban, on the Pivot podcast
Questions About Ads and Estimates
The source material does not establish the number of AI deepfake ads featuring Cuban, how long they ran, who placed them, or whether Meta removed the specific advertisements he described. It also does not document individual buyers’ losses or provide independent verification of Cuban’s account of weekly messages.
The $16 billion figure is an internal company estimate reported by Reuters, and Meta disputes its accuracy and framing. The source material does not provide the underlying calculation or enough detail to independently assess what types of ads were counted. The other figures—including daily higher-risk ad impressions, Meta’s estimated role in U.S. scams and the company’s reported removal total—also come from internal documents or company statements, rather than a complete independent audit.
The status and scope of the SEC’s reported inquiry are not specified. No regulatory conclusion or legal finding against Meta is described. It also remains unclear whether Meta has made changes to its ad review thresholds or policies in response to the documents, Cuban’s claims, or the inquiry.
What to Watch From Meta and Regulators
The next developments to watch are any response from Meta addressing Cuban’s specific allegations, and any further reporting or disclosures clarifying the company’s internal estimates and enforcement practices. The supplied material does not identify a scheduled company announcement, hearing or regulatory deadline.
Readers should also watch for updates on the SEC inquiry reported in the internal documents. Until the agency or Meta provides more information, its status and potential outcome remain unknown. In the meantime, Cuban’s account and the Reuters report leave a central question unresolved: whether existing ad review and removal systems can identify deceptive AI impersonations quickly enough to limit consumer harm.
Key Questions
What does Mark Cuban say Facebook is doing?
Cuban says Facebook runs ads that use AI-generated versions of his face and voice to promote a $294 diabetes cure he has never sold. The supplied reporting does not independently confirm the specific ads or quantify their reach.
Did Meta confirm earning $16 billion from scam ads?
No. Reuters reported that internal Meta documents estimated about $16 billion in 2024 revenue from ads promoting scams and prohibited products. Meta called the estimate rough and overly inclusive; it is not presented as an independently audited figure.
What did Meta say in response to the document report?
Meta spokesman Andy Stone told Reuters that the documents offered a selective view that distorted the company’s approach. He also cited a 58% decline in user complaints over the prior 18 months and said the company removed more than 134 million scam ads in 2025.
Is Meta facing a confirmed legal finding over the ads?
The supplied material reports that internal documents said the SEC was looking into Meta over advertising tied to financial fraud. It gives no details on the inquiry’s status and describes no finding that Meta broke the law.
Source: finance.yahoo.com
