In February-March 2026, Bitdefender Labs identified and mapped a sprawling global scam infrastructure and scalable disinformation-for-profit network that uses trusted news brands, real personalities, fabricated media narratives, emotional hooks, and advanced evasion techniques to drive victims into investment fraud funnels.

On February 9-March 5, 2026, we analyzed 310 malvertising campaigns distributed through paid advertising on Meta platforms.

Key findings:

* This is a global, coordinated