Maratoshi

Creator of SCAM, a premium series about the global scam economy. Finding your true self can mean lying to everyone else.

[Maratoshi @Maratoshi]

That “wrong number” text you ignored.
That flirty DM from a stranger.
That crypto romance message your friend almost fell for.
In many cases, the person typing it isn’t free.
They’re a captive.

This is the story behind the message.🧵

[Maratoshi @Maratoshi]

@TheCryptoLabb Check DM

[Maratoshi @Maratoshi]

That “wrong number” text you ignored.
That flirty DM from a stranger.
That crypto romance message your friend almost fell for.
In many cases, the person typing it isn’t free.
They’re a captive.

This is the story behind the message.🧵

[Maratoshi @Maratoshi]

@AngelInvestGuy @rocco_botte The Outcome (2026) movie from Keanu Reeves was really horrible.

[Maratoshi @Maratoshi]

@AngelInvestGuy @Jason That's true

[Maratoshi @Maratoshi]

6/
If you’re a producer, investor, showrunner, or founder who backs bold stories before everyone else sees them, DMs are open.

SCAM is ready to move.

[Maratoshi @Maratoshi]

5/
We’re currently raising the first checks: $10k–$50k.
The goal: finish the investor package and produce a proof-of-concept trailer strong enough to open doors with larger production partners, buyers, and financiers.

[Maratoshi @Maratoshi]

@JonShaivitz Signed up for https://t.co/mMB57X0PTw got some feedback to share

[Maratoshi @Maratoshi]

@JonShaivitz Check DM, plz

[Maratoshi @Maratoshi]

SCAM is everywhere...

[Rob Wiblin @robertwiblin]

Latest podcast from @Gregory_C_Allen has an insane section on criminal activity at Meta.

Internal docs leaked to Reuters show:

• 10% of all Meta revenue comes from ads for scams & banned goods ($16B/year)
• Meta estimates it's involved in 1/3 of all successful scams in the US
• That suggests they drive $50B in scam losses for US consumers alone each year
• Meta earns ~$3B annually from scam/banned goods ads run by Chinese operations alone

The China case study:

• In 2024, Meta made $18B+ from Chinese companies advertising to foreign consumers
• Internal teams found ~19% was scams/banned content
• An anti-fraud team successfully cut these ads in half
• When Zuckerberg saw the revenue impact, he told them to "pause" and the team was disbanded
• By mid-2025, banned ads climbed back to 16% of China revenue
• This results in money being stolen and going directly from ordinary Americans to Chinese criminals

The deliberate enabling:

• Fraud earns 10% of all revenue, but anti-fraud teams were blocked from any action costing >0.15%, so they couldn't effectively do anything
• Meta charged higher rates for suspected fraudulent ads — a "scam tax"
• Their algorithm naturally identifies people vulnerable to frauds and feeds them more and more

The cold calculation:

• Meta anticipated up to $1B in regulatory fines for this
• But they make $3.5B every 6 months from high-risk ads
• They view these fines as just "cost of doing business"

Senators Blumenthal & Hawley now calling for FTC/SEC investigations in a blistering letter, noting that all this happened while Meta cut safety staff and moved billions over to VR and AI.

WTF.

[Maratoshi @Maratoshi]

This is why I'm telling these stories. Real scams happening RIGHT NOW use the same manipulation tactics we dramatize. The Iranian actor scam could be Episode 9 of our series. When fiction mirrors reality this closely, we need to pay attention. More insights coming... #StayAlert

[Maratoshi @Maratoshi]

🚨 REAL-WORLD S.C.A.M UPDATE: This week's Iranian hack on Israeli actors shows how scammers exploit professional trust - exactly the psychology we explore in the show. Thread 🧵 #Scam

[Maratoshi @Maratoshi]

What's chilling: the escalation to threats. In my research, I learned this pattern - data theft → psychological pressure → control. Iranian hackers claiming responsibility wasn't just intimidation; it was establishing dominance. Classic scammer power dynamics at state level.

[Maratoshi @Maratoshi]

Because every #scam begins with a message. It lives in your hand. It thrives in your #feed. @A21 @briankrebs

[Maratoshi @Maratoshi]

That’s not just a style. It’s the legacy of the crime we’re exposing.