Online giants ‘are failing to take action’ on scam ads
FACEBOOK and Google have been accused of failing to take action against scam adverts.
Consumer group Which? found 34 per cent of victims who reported an ad to Google said it was not taken down – 26 per cent of Facebook users said the same.
Both internet giants insist they remove fraudulent adverts but Which? said the reactive approach was not working.
It has urged No.10 to include website scams in the new Online Safety Bill.
Researchers also showed 27 per cent of victims fell foul to scam ads on Facebook – 19 per cent happened on Google.
They also found a low level of engagement with reporting processes, with 43 per cent saying they did not report scams to the platform where they were seen.
And 31 per cent did not report a scam as they did not think anything would be done about it, the study found.
Adam French, the group’s consumer rights expert, said this shows a fresh approach is needed.
‘Online platforms must be given a legal responsibility to identify, remove and prevent fraudulent content,’ he added.
He also highlighted Which?’s free scam alert service, which helps consumers learn more about the tactics used by fraudsters. But he added: ‘ There is no doubt tech giants, regulators and the government need to go to greater lengths to prevent scams from flourishing.’
Facebook said its 35,000-strong team of safety and security experts work ‘alongside sophisticated AI to proactively identify and remove this content’.
The platform ‘disables billions of fake accounts every year’ and has donated £3million to Citizens Advice to deliver a UK Scam Action Programme, it said.
Google added: ‘We’re constantly reviewing ads, sites and accounts to ensure they comply with our policies.’
It said its enforcement team ‘has blocked or removed over 3.1billion ads. If ads are in violation we remove them’.