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Scammers use Elon Musk to advertise on Facebook and Instagram Scammers use Elon Musk to advertise on Facebook and Instagram

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Scammers use Elon Musk’s face to advertise on Facebook and Instagram

Credit: JC

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Scammers are using doctored videos and images of Elon Musk to advertise on Facebook and Instagram. Meta, Facebook, nor Instagram are doing anything to stop these out-of-control scammers.

Hopefully, that will change. Probably not.

Busted!

Andrea Stroppa, former contributor to the World Economic Forum, and cyber security researcher focusing on digital communication, social media, and research, shared what he found. He also shared his thoughts with me.

In a Twitter thread, Andrea pointed out that both Facebook and Instagram have a major problem. Both social media networks allow hundreds of sponsored posts that link to scams.

These scammers are using the name and face of Elon Musk with fake interviews or fake endorsements.

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“In the past three days, this page created 20 different ads on Facebook and Instagram with a video of Elon Musk that suggested investing in a crypto platform. It’s a scam,” Andrea tweeted.

Andrea found that these scammers also use verified Facebook pages to advertise on the Meta apps. These verified pages are most likely hacked.

Elon Musk, SpaceX, and Tesla are used in these scams.

The scammers don’t limit themselves to verified pages, but they also have recently created pages with fewer than ten thousand followers that are given the green light by Facebook to advertise.

Elon Musk isn’t the only one these scammers are using to advertise their scams. They also use the logos of both Tesla and SpaceX.

And they use the power of the Meta Business Suite to target specific users for countries, ages, sex, and other variables.

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Analyzing Fraudulent Ads on Facebook And Instagram

Andrea said that his team analyzed the fraudulent ads on these platforms that were related to counterfeit products for a particular target audience.

What he found instead were these scams which, he added, are very likely the top of the iceberg. These scams have a common pattern.

In my opinion, Facebook doesn’t seem to care about stopping it. As long as they get their money, they seem to be just fine with the scams. If not, then they would put an end to the scams. Right?

Perhaps someone at Meta will read that and prove me wrong.

Austrian Office of Taipei hacked

Credit: Andrea Stroppa

Andrea’s team even found a government page involved with the scams. He shared a screenshot of the Austrian Office Taipei’s post claiming “Tesla’s latest project shocks the world and the bank is in shock.”

Fortunately, the Austrian Office of Taipei was able to recover their account and posted a statement about being hacked.

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However, all of their content posted between August 2021 and May 2022 was deleted.

“We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the scammers. We have done all we can to make sure that nobody is able anymore to abuse our page.”

“As of today, we will return in the usual manner to inform you about our activities in Taiwan, inform you about Austria in all its aspects, such as culture, as a travel destination, its economy and businesses, science and innovation, sustainability and many other areas.”

“Thank you so much for your support. The Team of the Austrian Office Taipei.”

Elon Musk & Meta’s users are victims of negligence

Andrea called on Andrew Bosworth (Boz) the Chief Technology Officer at Meta and

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Adam Mosseri, the Head of Instagram to be serious about the moderation of ads on these networks.

“Elon Musk and your users are both victims of scammers and your negligence. Fix it now.”

In a statement to Teslarati, Andrea Stroppa said,

“No doubt that Elon Musk is not just one of the best entrepreneurs of his generation but even a formidable capital allocator. That’s why many people want to listen to his bits of advice.”

“But all these ads appearing on Facebook and Instagram with potential investments are scams.”

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“Looking at these malicious ads, there are many common patterns, keywords, and media content. Facebook has the technical skills to reduce the magnitude of these damaging activities. But they don’t.”

 

 

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Tesla China breaks 8-month slump by selling 71,599 vehicles wholesale in June

Tesla China’s June numbers were released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) on Tuesday.

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Credit: Tesla Asia/X

Tesla China was able to sell 71,599 vehicles wholesale in June 2025, reversing eight consecutive months of year-over-year declines. The figure marks a 0.83% increase from the 71,599 vehicles sold wholesale in June 2024 and a 16.1% jump compared to the 61,662 vehicles sold wholesale in May. 

Tesla China’s June numbers were released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) on Tuesday.

Tesla China’s June results in focus

Tesla produces both the Model 3 and Model Y at its Shanghai Gigafactory, which serves as the company’s primary vehicle export hub. Earlier this year, Tesla initiated a changeover for its best-selling vehicle, the Model Y, resulting in a drop in vehicle sales during the first and second quarters.

Tesla’s second-quarter China sales totaled 191,720 units including exports. While these numbers represent a 6.8% year-over-year decline for Tesla China, Q2 did show sequential improvement, rising about 11% from Q1 2025, as noted in a CNEV Post report.

For the first half of the year, Tesla sold 364,474 vehicles wholesale. This represents a 14.6% drop compared to the 426,623 units sold wholesale in the first half of 2024.

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China’s competitive local EV market

Tesla’s position in China is notable, especially as the new Model Y is gaining ground in the country’s BEV segment. That being said, Tesla is also facing competition from impressive local brands such as Xiaomi, whose new YU7 electric SUV is larger and more affordable than the Model Y. 

The momentum of the YU7 is impressive, as the vehicle was able to secure 200,000 firm orders within three minutes and over 240,000 locked-in orders within 18 hours. Xiaomi’s previous model, the SU7 electric sedan, which is aimed at the Model, also remains popular, with June deliveries surpassing 25,000 units for the ninth straight month.

While China’s EV market is getting more competitive, Tesla’s new Model Y is also ramping its production and deliveries. Needless to say, Tesla China’s results for the remaining two quarters of 2025 will be very interesting.

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Tesla reveals it is using AI to make factories more sustainable: here’s how

Tesla is using AI in its Gigafactory Nevada factory to improve HVAC efficiency.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has revealed in its Extended Impact Report for 2024 that it is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enable its factories to be more sustainable. One example it used was its achievement of managing “the majority of the HVAC infrastructure at Gigafactory Nevada is now AI-controlled” last year.

In a commitment to becoming more efficient and making its production as eco-friendly as possible, Tesla has been working for years to find solutions to reduce energy consumption in its factories.

For example, in 2023, Tesla implemented optimization controls in the plastics and paint shops located at Gigafactory Texas, which increased the efficiency of natural gas consumption. Tesla plans to phase out natural gas use across its factories eventually, but for now, it prioritizes work to reduce emissions from that energy source specifically.

It also uses Hygrometric Control Logic for Air Handling Units at Giafactory Berlin, resulting in 17,000 MWh in energy savings each year. At Gigafactory Nevada, Tesla saves 9.5 GWh of energy through the use of N-Methylpyrrolidone refineries when extracting critical raw material.

Perhaps the most interesting way Tesla is conserving energy is through the use of AI at Gigafactory Nevada, as it describes its use of AI to reduce energy demand:

“In 2023, AI Control for HVAC was expanded from Nevada and Texas to now include our Berlin-Brandenburg and Fremont factories. AI Control policy enables HVAC systems within each factory to work together to process sensor data, model factory dynamics, and apply control actions that safely minimize the energy required to support production. In 2024, this system achieved two milestones: the majority of HVAC infrastructure at Gigafactory Nevada is now AI-controlled, reducing fan and thermal energy demand; and the AI algorithm was extended to manage entire chiller plants, creating a closed-loop control system that optimizes both chilled water consumption and the energy required for its generation, all while maintaining factory conditions.”

Tesla utilizes AI Control “primarily on systems that heat or cool critical factory production spaces and equipment.” AI Control communicates with the preexisting standard control logic of each system, and any issues can be resolved by quickly reverting back to standard control. There were none in 2024.

Tesla says that it is utilizing AI to drive impact at its factories, and it has proven to be a valuable tool in reducing energy consumption at one of its facilities.

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Tesla analysts believe Musk and Trump feud will pass

Tesla CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump’s feud shall pass, several bulls say.

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The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
President Donald J. Trump purchases a Tesla on the South Lawn, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

Tesla analysts are breaking down the current feud between CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump, as the two continue to disagree on the “Big Beautiful Bill” and its impact on the country’s national debt.

Musk, who headed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Trump Administration, left his post in May. Soon thereafter, he and President Trump entered a very public and verbal disagreement, where things turned sour. They reconciled to an extent, and things seemed to be in the past.

However, the second disagreement between the two started on Monday, as Musk continued to push back on the “Big Beautiful Bill” that the Trump administration is attempting to sign into law. It would, by Musk’s estimation, increase spending and reverse the work DOGE did to trim the deficit.

President Trump has hinted that DOGE could be “the monster” that “eats Elon,” threatening to end the subsidies that SpaceX and Tesla receive. Musk has not been opposed to ending government subsidies for companies, including his own, as long as they are all abolished.

How Tesla could benefit from the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ that axes EV subsidies

Despite this contentious back-and-forth between the two, analysts are sharing their opinions now, and a few of the more bullish Tesla observers are convinced that this feud will pass, Trump and Musk will resolve their differences as they have before, and things will return to normal.

ARK Invest’s Cathie Wood said this morning that the feud between Musk and Trump is another example of “this too shall pass:”

Additionally, Wedbush’s Dan Ives, in a note to investors this morning, said that the situation “will settle:”

“We believe this situation will settle and at the end of the day Musk needs Trump and Trump needs Musk given the AI Arms Race going on between the US and China. The jabs between Musk and Trump will continue as the Budget rolls through Congress but Tesla investors want Musk to focus on driving Tesla and stop this political angle…which has turned into a life of its own in a roller coaster ride since the November elections.”

Tesla shares are down about 5 percent at 3:10 p.m. on the East Coast.

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