The U.S. state of Rhode Island has filed a lawsuit against Meta in state court, accusing it of tolerating the proliferation of fraudulent advertisements on Facebook, Instagram, and the instant messaging application WhatsApp. The lawsuit, submitted by the Rhode Island Attorney General, alleges that Meta has illegally profited by participating in the creation of fraudulent advertisements. This is the first fraud-related lawsuit filed against Meta by a U.S. state, following a similar lawsuit filed by Santa Clara County, California, in May. Rhode Island is seeking civil penalties for each alleged violation by Meta, demanding that it reimburse consumers for their losses, recover illegal gains, and has applied for a court order requiring Meta to rectify fraudulent advertisements on its platforms. Meta stated that it will respond to the lawsuit, calling it "baseless" and emphasizing its regular cooperation with law enforcement to combat fraud networks.