Meta has removed dozens of ads from Facebook and Instagram after Indian authorities warned that scammers were using sexually explicit content to trick people into downloading apps that could steal their banking information.
Meta has removed dozens of advertisements from Facebook and Instagram after the Indian government flagged a coordinated, predatory scam. The ads, operating under names like “Night Play” and “Kyss,” used sexually explicit thumbnails to lure users into downloading malicious software disguised as entertainment.
The trap is simple, but highly effective. Instead of directing users to a legitimate, vetted app store, these ads push a direct file download. One active ad led to a website promising round-the-clock content, requiring users to download a file named “Movexa.apk”. Once installed, the software works silently. It captures one-time passwords, reads banking PINs, and transfers money without the phone’s owner ever noticing a thing.
The scale of this financial bleeding is staggering. Government data shows India recorded nearly $2.4 billion in cyber-fraud losses last year alone. As the country’s digital payments ecosystem booms, scammers are aggressively targeting that exact convenience, turning everyday smartphones into open vaults.
Even after the government issued its formal warning on Monday morning, the ads did not vanish immediately. Reporters found at least 39 of these deceptive promotions still actively running on the platforms. It was only after the advertisements were directly flagged to the company that Meta finally pulled them down.
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Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the delay in removal or the specific mechanics of the scam.
The immediate threat has been cleared from the feeds for now. But the underlying vulnerability remains wide open. As long as massive platforms struggle to police the blurry boundary between harmless content and malicious traps, the next deceptive link is only a scroll away. And the users paying the highest price are everyday people who just wanted to watch a video.
Promise Idoko is Junior Reporter working with moderncrux He covers global politics and international affairs. Based in Nigeria,
