NEW YORK, March 6 (Reuters) - Forty U.S. states and

Washington, D.C. called on Meta Platforms ( META ) to crack down

on scammers who hijack Facebook and Instagram accounts, to

address a "dramatic" surge in account takeovers.

In a letter to Meta's chief lawyer, states led by New York

Attorney General Letitia James said fraudsters are "winning the

war and running rampant on Meta," after the company in November

2022 announced thousands of job cuts focused on security and

privacy.

The states said New York has since 2019 received a 1,000%

increase in complaints about scammers who access accounts and

change passwords, enabling them to read private messages and

pose as actual users to deceive contacts and the public.

Four of the states -- Illinois, North Carolina, Pennsylvania

and Vermont -- reported increases in complaints exceeding 250%

in the last year alone.

"Social media is how millions of Americans connect," James

said in a statement. "Having your social media account taken

over by a scammer can feel like having someone sneak into your

home and change all of the locks."

The states urged Meta to spend more money to prevent account

takeovers, including through increased staffing, and to work

more closely with people whose accounts are hacked.

In an emailed statement, a Meta spokeswoman said the Menlo

Park, California-based company invests "heavily" in technology

and staffing to identify compromised accounts, and shares tips

with users and law enforcement to address the problem.

Also signing the letter were Alabama, Alaska, Arizona,

California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia,

Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts,

Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New

Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South

Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington,

West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

In October, 41 states and Washington, D.C. sued Meta,

claiming the company designed its platforms to addict children,

damaging their mental health.