Maldita.es investigation · January 2026 · 28 Nov–23 Dec 2025
18,088
Impersonating ads found in 26 days
- What it measures
- Investigators identified 18,088 TikTok and Instagram ads using well-known brands’ names or images without permission during a 26-day review. The investigation examined 37 advertisers.
- Scope and limits
- An observed sample, not a platform-wide total. The article does not establish how much media budget or legitimate sales brands lost.
Where handles helpsRepeated impersonating accounts are hard to spot by hand. Radar scans name variations and ranks suspected accounts for investigation and platform reporting.
Explore Radar → US Federal Trade Commission · April 2026 · 2025 reports
$2.1bn
Reported losses from social-origin scams
- What it measures
- US consumers reported $2.1 billion lost to scams they first encountered on social media in 2025. More than 40% of people reporting a social-origin scam loss said they had ordered something seen in a social ad.
- Scope and limits
- Consumer-reported losses across scam types, not a measure of counterfeiting or the advertising budget lost by brands.
Where handles helpsWhen a scam begins with a fake brand presence, Radar helps separate approved accounts from impersonators and coordinate eligible removals.
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