Social media platforms and search engines are still flooded with scam ads amid a fraud “epidemic” sweeping the UK, a watchdog has warned.
Which? It found ads containing “obvious” fraud, from knockoffs of major retail brands to investment scams to ads using celebrities’ identities despite having no connection to the product or service.
The consumer group scoured Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Royal Assent weeks ago.
The law will not officially come into force for fraudulent advertising until Ofcom finalizes a code of practice that the regulator will use to set the standards platforms must comply with.
In Meta’s ad library, Which? It found that Facebook and Instagram hosted a large number of copycat ads impersonating major retailers during Black Friday sales, including electrical giant Currys, as well as clothing brands River Island and Marks & Spencer. Each ad attempted to lure victims to fake sites in order to obtain payment details.
Which on YouTube and TikTok? It found sponsored videos from people without Financial Conduct Authority permission, often giving “highly inappropriate” investment advice.
On
Below the ad was a note added by the platform, known as reader notes, with some context added by other site users. He warned: “This is another crypto scam using celebrities.” Despite the warning, the ad remained on air.
When the researchers posed as drivers searching Google for a “payphone app” to pay for parking, they encountered two ads for fake websites — onlytelephone.com and homeautomationinnovators.com — that appeared at the top of the search results and used the PayByPhone logo without permission. .
Both websites claimed to offer “free downloads”, but there was the same small print at the bottom of the websites showing a monthly fee of £24.99. PayByPhone confirmed that advertisers have nothing to do with the actual parking app.
Which? He said the findings suggest online platforms are not taking scam ads seriously enough.
It called for the appointment of a special fraud minister to make the problem a “national priority”.
Microsoft, which owns Bing, and TikTok were the only platforms to say Which? They had removed fraudulent or harmful content reported to them.
Facebook, Google, Instagram and X Didn’t report to which one? Information about whether the ads reported to them were blocked or removed.
Rocio Concha, Which One? Director of Policy and Advocacy said: “Many of the major social media platforms and search engines are still failing to protect their users from fraudulent advertising, despite upcoming legislation that will force them to tackle the problem.
“Ofcom should use the Online Safety Act to establish a code of conduct that imposes robust duties on platforms to detect and eliminate scams. “The government needs to make tackling fraud a national priority and appoint a fraud minister who will lead a coordinated response to the fraud epidemic sweeping the UK.”
Google, which is also YouTube’s parent company, said: “Protecting users is our top priority, and we have strict advertising policies that govern the types of ads and advertisers we allow on our platforms. We strictly enforce our policies and remove ads when we detect violating ads.”
“We continue to invest significant resources to stop bad actors and are constantly evaluating and updating our policies and improving our technology to keep our users safe.”
TikTok said its guidelines prohibit scams and scams and that it removed all videos. Which one? It was shared with him for violating these and related accounts.
Microsoft, which owns Bing, told which one? It confirmed that its policies prohibit advertising content that may be deceptive, fraudulent or harmful to users, and also removed content reported by the watchdog.
A Government spokesman said: “The Government’s action has helped reduce fraud by 13%, demonstrating progress in the rollout of our fraud strategy.
“The Strategy recently announced the appointment of a new Anti-Fraud Champion who helped secure the world’s first online fraud contract; This is a commitment by 12 of the world’s largest technology companies to reduce fraud on their platforms, including fraudulent advertising.
“Our world-leading Online Safety Code will also require platforms to take proactive measures to prevent and quickly remove fake content. “Companies that do not comply with their new duties could face large fines.”