AA / Istanbul / Mohammed Yasin Gungor
The Japanese arm of Facebook parent company Meta is facing a lawsuit Thursday alleging fake investment ads with fake celebrity endorsements.
Four plaintiffs accuse Meta of neglecting its duty to assess the damage that could be caused to customers and verify the authenticity of advertisements on Facebook and Instagram, according to Japanese news agency Kyodo News.
The plaintiffs are seeking 23 million yen ($148,000) in damages, saying they lost money because of Meta’s negligence.
The ads falsely suggested support from Yusaku Maezawa, founder of an online fashion retailer, and Hiroyuki Nishimura, an Internet entrepreneur and founder of the popular discussion forum “2channel.”
The plaintiffs transferred money to accounts, thinking they were investing in foreign exchange transactions.
In Japan, scams on social networks, using the names of personalities without their consent, reached the amount of 27.8 billion yen ($179 million) in 2023, according to the Japanese National Police.
Meta is an American multinational technology conglomerate based in California, owner of Facebook, Instagram and the mobile application WhatsApp.
* Translated from English by Mounir Bennour.
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