Experts believe the operation is based in China and relies on a drop-shipping scheme. 'It's likely just a reshipper selling controversial or illegal products,' says Zach Edwards, a senior threat researcher at cybersecurity firm Silent Push. This reflects the broader issue of unregulated online sales, where shops exploit loopholes to peddle goods that can harm consumers, thus highlighting the need for stricter regulations on e-commerce platforms.
Edwards explains, drop-shippers wait for a customer to place an order, then purchase the item from inexpensive online retailers, repackage it, and ship it to the customers. The operator behind the network is likely creating hundreds of websites, applying a moderate markup to the products, and spinning up Facebook pages to promote their items. 'Even if some sites or ads get caught and taken down, others keep running,' Edwards says.
Meta's enforcement has been inconsistent. While at least 74 of the ad campaigns were removed for violating terms, the rest appeared to have run successfully. After WIRED reached out to Meta, the company said that it removed the ads and associated advertising accounts. However, a search of Meta's Ad Library revealed that nearly identical ones have been published, showing the challenges in regulating such content effectively.
Roberts notes that the flagged ads had little to no engagement, suggesting that few people saw this content. However, the existence of ads with thousands of comments raises concerns. Many accused the ads of being an ATF honeypot, while others complained that their products never arrived, indicating that even in low engagement periods, harmful content can still reach viewers and lure them into unsafe transactions.
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