Big Tech must tackle scam ads or face fines
Faye was Headline Money Consumer Money Journalist of 2023 and a Wincott Award finalist in 2025. She's been investigating scams for nearly a decade.
Tougher rules have been proposed for online platforms to curb a 'free-for-all' of fraudulent adverts – but it's unclear when they will come into force.
Tech giants such as Facebook, Google and YouTube will be expected to proactively intercept fraudulent advertisers, ban them and stop them from creating new accounts.
Online platforms earn huge sums from paid advertising in the UK, but 'haven't done enough to protect people from cybercriminals', regulator Ofcom has warned.
The regulator's draft proposals have finally been unveiled after Which? successfully campaigned to have paid-for scam adverts included in the Online Safety Act, which became law in 2023.
Read on to find out what the proposals are and whether they will finally clean up these tech giants.
Online scams scourge
Most scams now begin online, with the most recent data from UK Finance showing that nearly two thirds (66%) of all bank transfer fraud in 2025 started online.
Many of these are investment frauds, with the number of cases soaring 26% last year, according to UK Finance data. These types of fraud can be particularly devastating, with life-changing amounts stolen by criminals.
Meta (owner of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram) projected that 10% of its 2024 earnings would come from ads for scams and banned goods, according to a damning Reuters exposé.
Responding, Meta told us scam ads on its platforms had declined by more than 50% and that the leaked documents presented a 'selective' view.
But Which? has repeatedly sounded the alarm about the deluge of scams social media users face. This year alone, we've warned against the resurgence of the Quantum AI scam, which uses deepfake videos of celebrities to peddle fake investments. More recently, we warned of criminals using Facebook to impersonate holiday accommodation providers and steal money from site users.
Worryingly, users of popular news websites aren't safe either; our investigation found a deepfake video impersonating Sir Richard Branson to promote a quack cure for diabetes.
- Join our campaign to Stamp out Scams.
Why is this happening?
In 2023, a new law, the Online Safety Act, was passed in Parliament, aiming to curb illegal content online such as terrorism, child sexual abuse imagery and scams.
Initially, paid-for fraudulent adverts weren't included in the scope of the proposed law, but campaigning by Which? and a coalition of charities and groups led to their inclusion in the new law.
However, the part of the law relating to scam ads is still not in force more than three years after it passed – a delay Which? has repeatedly criticised.
Ofcom – the regulator responsible for enforcing the Act – has now published these draft rules and invited feedback. The final rules will be published next year.
Ofcom has stressed that online platforms 'do not need to wait' for the measures to be finalised and 'improvements can start now'.
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Share scam detailsWhat are the new rules?
Tech platforms will be expected to follow the rules set out by Ofcom.
Those that don't will face fines of up to £18m or 10% of global revenue, whichever is greater, although Meta is currently fighting Ofcom in court to reduce the proposed fines.
Ofcom has set out 40 proposed new measures for tech firms to protect users from scams. These include:
- Banning fraudsters who post scam ads and preventing them from creating new accounts.
- Intercepting impostors who impersonate genuine businesses by checking that people setting up new advertising accounts are who they say they are.
- Ensuring that anyone posting an ad for banking or investment services is legally authorised to do so by the Financial Conduct Authority.
- Increasing security safeguards to reduce the risk of genuine accounts being hijacked.
- Rigorously testing AI advert-making tools to reduce the risk of misue by criminals.
- Setting up a dedicated channel for law enforcement to flag scam ads, which must then be swiftly removed.
The proposed measures could change as a result of the consultation. Which? is engaging with Ofcom to ensure the outcome will be robust enough to tackle fraudulent advertising.
Rocio Concha, Which? head of policy and advocacy, said: 'Tech firms continue to treat scam ads as a profitable income stream, despite the harm they cause to millions of people – so Ofcom’s proposals are a significant step towards finally seeing them held accountable for enabling scammers to target victims on a massive scale in the UK.
'We will thoroughly review the details of these proposals and engage with Ofcom to ensure the final framework creates strong, effective incentives for online platforms to tackle fraudulent advertising.
'However, Ofcom's current timeline leaves consumers unprotected until 2027 at the earliest. This is very problematic at a time when breakneck advances in AI are making scams more sophisticated than ever.
'Ofcom needs to implement these codes as soon as possible. It must prioritise finalising strong legal obligations and prove that these can effectively shut down scams and hit tech firms with tough penalties if they fall short in their duties.'
Organisations and the public can read and respond to the full plans on Ofcom's website until 2 October.
