Craig Silverman
I’m a national reporter covering tech platforms, scams, fraud and online manipulation.
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What I Cover
I cover how technology and digital platforms influence society, elections and the information ecosystem. I specialize in using open-source investigative techniques to uncover fraud, scams, deception and disinformation.
My Background
I’ve been a journalist for more than 20 years. Prior to joining ProPublica, I was the media editor of BuzzFeed News, where I established techniques for investigating digital disinformation.
I’ve spent more than a decade researching and reporting on online hoaxes, digital verification and debunking, and open-source intelligence techniques. I was a fellow at Columbia’s Tow Center for Digital Journalism and am the editor of the European Journalism Centre’s Verification Handbook series, which offers guidance on verifying digital content and investigating media manipulation. I’m also the author of two nonfiction books: “Mafiaboy,” about a teenage hacker, and “Regret The Error,” a history of fact-checking and media errors.
I received a George Polk Award for a series that revealed how Facebook exposes the public to disinformation, fraud and violence. I won two SABEW Best in Business awards for an investigation of Google’s digital ad business. My work has also been honored by the Mirror Awards, Canadian Association of Journalists and the American Political Science Association.
Exploiting Meta’s Weaknesses, Deceptive Political Ads Thrived on Facebook and Instagram in Run-Up to Election
Despite Meta's stated commitment to crack down on harmful content, it failed to catch tens of thousands of ads that used false claims and deepfakes of political figures to collect users’ sensitive personal data or bait them into monthly charges.
How Walmart’s Financial Services Became a Fraud Magnet
Scammers have duped consumers out of more than $1 billion by exploiting Walmart’s lax security. The company has resisted taking responsibility while breaking promises to regulators and skimping on training.
A Scammer Tricked Instagram Into Banning Influencers With Millions of Followers. Then He Made Them Pay to Recover Their Accounts.
OBN, a mysterious fraudster, says he made hundreds of thousands of dollars by exploiting Instagram’s security gaps. He’s eluded Meta and law enforcement, but we followed his trail to Las Vegas.
How Google’s Ad Business Funds Disinformation Around the World
The largest-ever analysis of Google’s ad practices on non-English-language websites reveals how the tech giant makes disinformation profitable.
As Facebook Abandons Fact-Checking, It’s Also Offering Bonuses for Viral Content
Meta decided to stop working with U.S. fact-checkers at the same time as it’s revamping a program to pay bonuses to creators with high engagement numbers, potentially pouring accelerant on the kind of false posts the company once policed.
Nevada Says It Worked Out the Kinks in Its New Voter System in Time for The Election, but Concerns Remain
After recent practice runs showed significant problems in transferring data accurately, the battleground state’s new centralized voter registration system will get its first real-world test in a major presidential election.
The Nation’s First Law Protecting Against Gift Card Draining Has Passed. Will It Work?
Despite industry pushback, Maryland became the first state to require secure packaging for most gift cards sold at stores. “It will change packaging nationally,” one retail insider predicted.
The President Ordered a Board to Probe a Massive Russian Cyberattack. It Never Did.
By not investigating the underlying weakness in Microsoft software that was key to the SolarWinds hack, the Cyber Safety Review Board missed an opportunity to prevent future attacks, experts say.
Chinese Organized Crime’s Latest U.S. Target: Gift Cards
Chinese crime rings already dominate the illegal marijuana trade in the U.S. and launder cocaine and heroin profits. Now a federal task force is investigating their role in a burgeoning form of gift card fraud.
Walmart Bought a Finance App and Reduced Fraud Protections. Guess What Happened Next?
The retail giant has long sought to become a financial powerhouse. But after it acquired a neobank called One in 2022, fraud complaints multiplied and customer reviews cratered.
Right-Wing Websites Connected to Former Trump Lawyer Are Scamming Loyal Followers With Phony Celebrity Pitches
A mysterious network called AdStyle is placing ads with fake endorsements from celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Elon Musk on conservative sites based in the U.S. and abroad.
Porn, Piracy, Fraud: What Lurks Inside Google’s Black Box Ad Empire
Google’s ad business hides nearly all publishers it works with and where billions of ad dollars flow. We uncovered a network containing manga piracy, porn, fraud and disinformation.
How We Determined Which Disinformation Publishers Profit From Google’s Ad Systems
We identified websites that collected Google ad revenue despite publishing false claims about COVID-19, climate change and other issues in apparent violation of Google policies.
Inside a Million-Dollar Instagram Verification Scheme
A jeweler. A plastic surgeon. An OnlyFans Model. They and others received a blue check in likely the biggest Instagram verification scheme revealed to date. After ProPublica started asking questions, Meta removed badges from over 300 accounts.