Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has written to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg demanding action against immigration scams proliferating on Facebook and WhatsApp. Scammers impersonate legitimate pro bono legal organizations like Catholic Charities to extract money from vulnerable immigrants. About one-third of Catholic Charities agencies have reported impersonation campaigns, yet Meta has declined removal requests even from verified institutional leaders. Bragg's letter requests a law enforcement reporting portal, prioritized handling of criminal impersonation reports, and stronger geographic verification tools. Security experts note that AI accelerates account creation cycles, Meta's moderation asymmetrically protects celebrities over nonprofits, and the problem reflects an industry-wide architectural gap where social platforms were built for growth rather than trust verification.
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