Scammers thriving on Meta inflict lasting damage on their victims’ mental health, Which? warns
In June 2026, Which? surveyed 1,501 UK adults who had money stolen through fraud in the previous two years to find out how they came across the scam, what action they took and what impact it had on them.
Six in 10 (63%) fraud victims said the scam involved at least one app or website. Of those who first encountered fraudulent content online, more than half (55%) said they first came across it on social media. Which? found that Meta-owned services were squarely identified as the source for most scams, with Facebook cited by almost a third (28%) of those who were tricked into making payments, WhatsApp by almost one in four (17%) and Instagram by one in 10 (10%).
Victims reported that their experience had a negative impact on their stress levels (63%) and mental health (54%) as well as their financial situation (47%). Many described anxiety, strained relationships and feelings of shame or self-blame. Which? found that some were too embarrassed to tell friends and family what had happened, leaving them isolated when they needed support most.
One victim told Which?: “It has made me feel stupid and ashamed. I haven’t fully told my family. I have tried to cover up the full financial loss.” Another said: “I was so nervous and stressed. It had a big impact on my marriage as well. My husband thinks I don’t have enough knowledge to maintain my finances. I’m so depressed.” A third said their mental health “was affected very badly. I had to go through counselling, asking for help from the government. I also lost earnings because I could not work. I feel like a failure.”
Almost a quarter (23%) of victims surveyed by Which? said they have changed how they pay for goods online. One respondent said: “It affected the way I see online purchases and payment methods. At some point I totally lost trust.”
Which? also found that people with a professionally diagnosed mental health condition at the time they were defrauded, and those with a longstanding physical or mental health condition or disability, were much more likely to report being unable to afford everyday essentials, falling into debt and facing the permanent closure of accounts.
Victims also stated that unhelpful reporting mechanisms added to the stress of being defrauded. One Facebook user who fell victim to a scam on the platform said the process “was handled very poorly. It felt entirely automated, and I received nothing but generic, template responses. It needs to have real support agents to provide transparent updates on what actions are being taken against fraudsters.”
Despite the emotional harm caused by fraud, Which? believes that tech giants will not take meaningful action to stop scams unless they are compelled by law. Juniper Research (a market research firm) estimates that social media companies made nearly £3.8 billion in 2025 from scam ads in Europe alone.
Which? argues that the most effective way to disrupt fraudsters would be to force tech giants to take responsibility for the flood of scams on their platforms. Ofcom needs to take action against tech firms like Meta that fail to block scams on their platforms by urgently implementing and enforcing the Online Safety Act’s measures on fraudulent advertising.
Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said:
“Our research lays bare the long-lasting emotional impact fraud can have on victims. Fraud takes a serious toll on victims’ stress levels and mental health as well as their finances – and many were left too ashamed to tell the people closest to them.”
“Despite the financial harm and human misery they cause, we believe that the tech giants who profit from scams on their platforms will not take enough action against fraudsters unless they are legally compelled to do so.
“Ofcom must implement the Online Safety Act’s measures on fraudulent advertising as soon as possible and the Government must ensure that it does so urgently and robustly.”
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors:
Key findings:
Unauthorised fraud was the most common type reported, with people having their bank account or card details harvested (44%), or losing their physical card, mobile phone or other device to opportunistic thieves (16%). Impersonation scams accounted for the rest, where victims were groomed into authorising payments to fraudsters masquerading as trusted organisations or individuals (35%).
Only 23% of fraud victims said the incident didn’t involve online websites or apps. The rest named specific platforms, selected ‘other’ (8%) or said they didn’t remember (13%).
Methodology:
Between 1st and 12th of June 2026 Which? surveyed 1,501 adults in the UK who had lost money to fraud in the last 2 years. Fieldwork was carried out online by Deltapoll and the final data has been weighted to be representative of victims of fraud in the UK population (aged 18+).
Right of replies:
A spokesperson for Meta said: “Scammers are determined criminals who use increasingly sophisticated tactics to defraud people and evade detection on our platforms and across the internet. We fight scams on and off our platforms because they're not good for us or the people and businesses that rely on our services.”
A spokesperson for Ofcom said: “Combatting online fraud is a priority for us, and we’re working at pace to implement new rules on paid-for fraudulent ads. The timeline for this has been affected by factors beyond our control, in particular a legal challenge against the Government that raised complex issues, but tech firms don’t have to wait – they can start making improvements for their users now. Sites and apps that fail to meet their legal duties, once in force, can expect to face serious consequences.”
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