In 2025, Meta may still dominate the digital ad space — but its market power has become a liability for the very businesses that made it essential. For advertisers, Meta’s platforms (Facebook and Instagram) offer unparalleled audience reach. But when something goes wrong — especially with security or account access — the platform’s lack of accountability turns reach into risk.

Now, that risk is no longer anecdotal — it’s publicly documented.

“We Can’t Help You”: Meta’s Support Crisis Goes Mainstream

A Wall Street Journal investigation published April 2025 (“Meta’s Platform Is Being Used for Fraud, but It Won’t Help the Victims”) lays bare what many advertisers have known for years: Meta’s support systems are not just slow or frustrating — they are systemically broken.

In multiple reported cases, businesses and individuals lost access to accounts, were charged for fraudulent ads, or had their identities impersonated, only to be met with inaction from Meta’s internal support teams. Meta often closes tickets without resolution. Victims are advised to “submit another request,” and the support queue resets.

The most alarming part? These are not isolated cases. They represent a growing pattern of risk for businesses that rely on Meta for lead generation and customer engagement.

When Advertising Feels Like Gambling

This experience is not only disruptive — it’s dangerous. If unauthorized users post on institutional Pages or run fraudulent ads under a law school’s name, Meta’s inaction would not just be negligent — it would be reputationally catastrophic for the school.

Is This the Cost of Offshore Support?

While Meta’s quarterly earnings continue to grow, its investment in advertiser support has noticeably declined. Many of the agents handling security cases appear to operate from offshore call centers, often lacking context, continuity, or access to resolve the issue.

This growing reliance on outsourced labor is not unique to Meta — but it’s increasingly out of step with national trends.

In fact, the Trump administration, in its 2025 policy pivot, has renewed calls for tech firms to onshore critical support functions, citing national security, data privacy, and job creation. Meta, already under antitrust scrutiny from the FTC, may find itself exposed to regulatory pressure to re-localize essential services — especially when those services protect consumer and institutional data.

A Risky Bet for Business

Despite Meta’s targeting power, smart marketers must now ask: Can we trust a platform that won’t support its customers?

Consider this:

• A single lost prospective JD student can represent $120,000 in tuition
  
• For graduate law programs, each lost student is often worth $40,000+
• When campaigns break due to Meta’s security lapses, these losses become real, not theoretical

Meta may still be a market leader, but a monopoly doesn’t mean reliability. And until there’s a structural change in how Meta prioritizes customer support and platform integrity, it remains a high-risk, low-trust advertising environment — especially for professional and regulated sectors.

Bottom Line:

Meta needs to do more than issue vague reassurances. It must rebuild trust with the advertisers that fuel its revenue. Until then, we encourage every institution and brand we work with to diversify their media mix and reduce their dependence on Meta.