Instagram removes fake celebrity accounts promoting illegal betting in Brazil
Fake accounts impersonating Brazilian celebrities were used to spread disinformation and promote illegal betting schemes.
Key Points
- Meta deleted fake profiles impersonating celebrities to promote illegal gambling and spread fake news
- Some accounts had over 500,000 followers and used AI-generated images to mislead users
- Authorities and experts warn of growing overlap between online scams and illegal betting
Instagram has taken down a series of fake accounts that used the identities of Brazilian celebrities to spread fake news and promote illegal gambling operations.
The decision followed a media investigation exposing how these profiles exploited influencers and artists’ images to drive traffic to fraudulent betting platforms and other scams.
According to the report, at least ten fan accounts were impersonating well-known figures, some even displaying the platform’s blue verification badge, which is supposed to certify authenticity.
Meta confirmed that it removed the identified profiles for “violations of our authentic representation policy.”
One of the largest fake pages, which had more than 230,000 followers, used photos of influencer Carlinhos Maia, one of the biggest influencers in Brazil, to lure users into clicking links tied to unlicensed betting schemes.
Others spread AI-generated content depicting fictional celebrity relationships, which quickly went viral and were leveraged to attract traffic to gambling-related promotions disguised as entertainment posts.
Digital law specialist Daniel Ângelo Luiz da Silva noted that creating fake profiles to mislead users can constitute crimes such as fraud, defamation and false identity, which may lead to civil penalties.
Good to know: A new bill in Brazil proposes allocating part of betting tax revenues to strengthen cybersecurity and combat online crime
The use of social media as a vehicle for gambling-related fraud is becoming increasingly common in Brazil.
Earlier this month, federal authorities dismantled a raffle network led by influencers accused of laundering millions through online games and social media campaigns.
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