Which? responds to Ofcom's Fraudulent Advertising Codes Consultation

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.”

-ENDS-