Scam ads are still a major problem across social media, search engines, apps and websites in the UK. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Google do screen ads before they run, but the system is not perfect, and harmful ads still make it through at scale.
In the UK, this is not just an inconvenience — it is a fraud issue that can cost consumers hundreds of millions of pounds a year. Ofcom has said major platforms will face tougher rules to tackle scam adverts, while the ASA already runs a Scam Ad Alert system with major ad platforms to speed up removals. How scam ads get through
Most major platforms use a mix of automated checks, human review, policy enforcement and user reports. Meta says its ad review process is largely automated and happens before ads go live, while Google and TikTok also use review systems before approval.
That said, scam advertisers constantly change their tactics. They impersonate trusted brands, copy celebrity images, run fake investment offers, and use AI-generated creative to make ads look more believable. Which? has reported that obvious fraudulent ads were still easy to find across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Google and Bing. 
Why users still see them
Scam ads usually survive because the fraudsters move faster than enforcement systems. Even when one ad is removed, another version often appears from a different account, with slightly altered text, images or links.
There is also a supply-chain issue. Apps, games and websites can use third-party ad networks and exchanges to fill ad space, which means scam ads can appear even on sites that are not trying to host them directly. That makes oversight more complicated, because responsibility is often shared between the publisher and the ad tech companies involved. How bad is the problem in the UK?
The public figures gathered so far show just how large the issue is. UK reporting has linked online-ad fraud to 35,115 reports in 2020/21 and around £400 million in losses. Separate reporting has suggested that social media platforms made about £430 million in UK revenue from scam ads in 2025, while UK users were exposed to roughly 95 billion scam adverts in that same period.assets.publishing.service.gov+3
Ofcom has also cited an estimate of over £200 million a year lost by UK victims to scam ads, while National Trading Standards has said 6.4 million UK shoppers were scammed after clicking a fake ad. 
What platforms and regulators are doing
The UK’s Scam Ad Alert system lets consumers report scam adverts to the ASA, which then shares alerts with participating platforms such as Google, Meta, TikTok, Microsoft, Snap, Yahoo and others. The idea is to get bogus ads removed quickly and to stop similar ads reappearing elsewhere in the ad network.
Ofcom is also pushing for stronger legal duties on major platforms. Its draft code would require bigger services to stop repeat offenders, make scam ads easier to report, and take quicker action against impersonation and fraudulent financial promotions. What to do if you keep seeing scam ads
If you keep running into scam ads, the safest approach is to avoid clicking them, report them, and tighten your device and browser settings. UK government guidance says you should report suspicious adverts, and NCSC guidance covers how to report scam adverts and related phishing pages.
Practical steps include:
The bigger picture
The reason scam ads remain such a problem is simple: they are profitable. Fraudsters can target large audiences cheaply, and platforms and publishers do not always catch them fast enough. That is why the UK is moving toward stricter enforcement, better reporting systems and more accountability for ad platforms and their partners.reuters+2
For users, the key point is this: scam ads are not just random spam. They are part of a wider fraud ecosystem that spans social media, search, apps and websites, which is why vigilance, reporting and stronger platform enforcement all matter. 
Should platforms do more?
Absolutely. If a platform profits from ad inventory, it should carry a strong duty to verify advertisers, detect impersonation, remove repeat offenders, and act quickly when scam patterns emerge. In practice, many platforms already review ads before they run, but the scale of scam advertising shows that current checks are still not enough.
The key issue is that platforms are the gatekeepers. They control the ad systems, the ranking, the targeting, the payment rails, and the enforcement tools, so they are in the best position to stop bad actors before harm happens. Why should the public police these?
The public should not be the first line of defence, but reporting is still useful because it helps platforms spot new scam tactics faster. That said, relying on ordinary users to do the bulk of the work is unfair, inefficient, and unrealistic because most people do not have the time, expertise, or context to investigate ads properly.
Users are victims or potential victims, not moderators. Expecting them to police fraud shifts responsibility away from the companies making money from the ad ecosystem. Should government do more?
Yes. The UK Government should set clearer duties, demand faster takedowns, require stronger advertiser verification, and impose meaningful penalties when platforms repeatedly fail to stop scam ads. It should also improve coordination between regulators, law enforcement, and consumer-protection bodies so scams are handled as a financial-crime issue, not just a content-moderation issue.
In the UK, this is especially important because scam ads can affect huge numbers of people and cause losses measured in hundreds of millions of pounds. Stronger rules are justified when the harm is widespread, repeatable, and profitable for the criminals involved. A fairer approach
A better system would put most responsibility on platforms and ad intermediaries, with government setting the standards and enforcing them. The public should still be able to report scams easily, but reporting should be a backup mechanism, not the main safety net.
In simple terms:
Are criminal organistations using SCAM ads
Yes — criminal organisations are using scam ads, and in many cases they are using them at industrial scale rather than as one-off opportunistic frauds. Research and regulator statements describe highly organised, technically sophisticated groups exploiting digital ad systems to sell fake products, harvest data, run phishing, and push investment scams.
What the evidence shows
What kind of criminal groups? These are not always traditional “gangs” in the old sense, but they are often organised networks with shared payment systems, fake agencies, account farms, call centres, and repeatable ad infrastructure. In practice, they operate like criminal marketing businesses: they buy reach, test creative, scale what works, and replace what gets taken down. How they use ads Criminal groups use ads to:
Why ads are attractive to criminals Ads give scammers fast reach, precise targeting, and the ability to keep replacing blocked campaigns. That is why scam advertising is often described as a scalable fraud channel rather than a random nuisance. UK angle For the UK, this means scam ads are part of a broader organised-fraud problem, not just a moderation issue on social media. The public reporting gathered so far points to major financial harm, repeat offenders, and a need for stronger platform enforcement and better government oversight. 
If criminals are using these platforms, why aren't these companies being held accountable and why isnt the government doing more?
Because the problem sits in a messy gap between fraud, advertising, platform governance, and cross-border enforcement. Platforms often argue they are only intermediaries, while governments have had to balance consumer protection against free expression, privacy, and the practical limits of policing billions of ads and posts.assets.publishing.
Why companies are not held fully accountable A big reason is that criminals use fast-changing accounts, offshore structures, and complex ad supply chains, which makes it hard to pin down responsibility quickly and prove exactly where the failure happened. The UK fraud strategy also says the public and private sectors lack a shared real-time picture of the fraud threat, which delays disruption and weakens accountability. Another issue is that tech companies have often been treated as platforms rather than publishers, so the legal burden on them has historically been lighter than many people expect. The government has said that needs to change, and its fraud strategy says corporate criminal liability must be reformed and that large organisations should face a Failure to Prevent Fraud offence where appropriate. Why the government has not gone far enough The UK government has started moving, but the scale of the problem is ahead of the current enforcement model. The Fraud Strategy says platforms and digital companies have a responsibility to stop their systems being exploited, and that the government will keep reviewing whether further measures are needed.assets.publishing.service.gov At the same time, parliament has warned that current online-safety rules do not fully address algorithmic amplification and the monetisation of harmful content, and that stronger duties may still be needed. That means the law is improving, but not yet matching how sophisticated the scam ecosystem has become. committees.parliament The practical problem Even when regulators want action, they still face gaps in data, evidence, and jurisdiction. The fraud strategy explicitly says the UK needs better metrics, better transparency reports, and better shared data so companies can be compared and held accountable for fraud prevention. There is also a resourcing issue. Investigating scam ads at scale is expensive and technically difficult, and law enforcement is often chasing offenders who are using AI, offshore infrastructure, and fast-moving ad accounts. What should happen A stronger response would include:
Plain-English answer
So the short answer is: companies are not being held fully to account because the legal and enforcement system has lagged behind the scale of the problem. The government is doing more now, but public pressure is justified because the current setup still leaves too much room for criminals to exploit the ad ecosystem.
FAQs
Why are scam ads such a big problem?
Because they are cheap to run, easy to scale, and can reach huge audiences before being removed. Should platforms be legally responsible? Yes, at least to a significant degree. If they profit from advertising, they should also carry strong duties to prevent fraud. Is user reporting enough? No. User reporting helps, but it should be a backup mechanism, not the main defence. Are other countries stricter than the UK? In many cases, yes. The EU and Australia are both moving toward stronger accountability models, while the US remains more fragmented. What is the main thing governments should do? Make platforms verify advertisers properly, remove repeat offenders faster, and face real penalties when they repeatedly fail to stop scam ads.
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