Martin Lewis to sue over Facebook’s fake adverts
MARTIN LEWIS, the founder of Moneysavingexpert, is to sue Facebook over scam advertisements using his image.
The financial commentator is claiming defamation after allegations that the site is publishing fake adverts that convince vulnerable people to hand over thousands of pounds to criminals.
He said the company had hosted more than 50 of the adverts and that it had failed to act because it was motivated by “greed”.
Mr Lewis said the legal action, due to be launched today, was the result of months of frustration with scammers who were piggybacking on his reputation and preying on Facebook users with outlandish get-rich-quick scams.
Fans have handed over thousands of pounds in good faith, only to find the advert has nothing to do with Mr Lewis or his company.
“Vulnerable people are the ones being scammed and the ones being hurt,” he told The Daily Telegraph. “It has to take some responsibility. Facebook has become this big agglomerated organisation where no one seems to take care and responsibility.”
Facebooks terms and conditions for adverts include the line: “Adverts must not contain deceptive, false, or mis- leading content, including deceptive claims, offers, or business practices.”
Mr Lewis said the legal action was not designed to win the case itself, but to force the company to change its policy on advertising, for example by having inbuilt settings notifying wellknown people every time their image has been used in an advert, requiring their approval. He has repeatedly reported the advert, only for new, almost identical ones to appear days later. “I don’t do ads, so an ad with me in it does not have my permission,” he said. “It’s distressing, and genuinely makes me feel sick when I hear someone has lost money because of this.”
Mark Lewis, his solicitor, said: “Facebook is not above the law – it cannot hide outside the UK and think that it is untouchable.
“Exemplary damages are being sought. This means we will ask the court to ensure they are substantial enough that Facebook can’t simply see paying out damages as just the ‘cost of business’ and carry on regardless.”
Facebook said: “We do not allow adverts that are misleading or false on Facebook and have explained to Martin Lewis that he should report any adverts that infringe his rights and they will be removed.
“We are in direct contact with his team, offering to help and promptly investigating their requests, and only last week confirmed that several adverts and accounts that violated our advertising policies had been taken down.”