From Straight Arrow · · 1m 30s
Scammers sell fake gun permits to seniors via AI
Scammers use AI to pitch fake national gun permits to seniors on Meta, costing $3m this year.
In brief
Scammers use AI to pitch fake national gun permits to seniors on Meta, costing $3m this year. Scammers spent over $3 million this year selling fake national gun permits to seniors via Meta ads, which cannot legally exist. Originally reported by Straight Arrow.
Scammers target seniors with fake permits
Scammers spent over $3 million this year to manipulate veterans and the elderly into buying fake national gun permits.
Fake permits don't exist
Gun permits are issued state by state; no permit valid in all 50 states exists.
Scammers use AI on Meta
The Institute for Strategic Dialogue found 22 scam pages promoting fake permits across Meta platforms.
Scam pages blend in
Pages use official names like 'US Permit Registry' or human names like 'Dale Williams'.
Dale Williams account
The 'Dale Williams' page shows AI-generated selfies with unrealistic colors and blurry backgrounds.
Scam ads cost $1m
The 'Dale Williams' account paid over $1 million to run 170 scam ads.
Ads reach millions
Meta's policy bans deceptive ads, but they were seen over 24 million times.
Scammers target vulnerable groups
Ads specifically target seniors and veterans who have been shown to be frequent fraud victims.
Fake bill targets seniors
A fake bill claims anyone born before 2005 can get a national concealed carry permit.
Seniors pay for fake permits
Some seniors paid $95 for fake permits and received nothing.
The short version
Scammers spent over $3 million this year selling fake national gun permits to seniors via Meta ads, which cannot legally exist.
