“The biggest online platforms have shown they’re unwilling to take effective action to stop scam ads appearing in the first place, which is why specific requirements in the Online Safety Act for platforms to stop scam ads from appearing are so desperately needed.
The scam adverts often contain doctored or deepfake images of celebrities or public figures, with the ASA noting it saw scam ads depicting Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves last year, as well as ads using the likeness of Stacy Solomon and Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke.
“Public reporting doesn’t solve scam ads, and it’s not the public’s responsibility to solve scam ads, but they can play their part,” she said.
“Ultimately, that is not always successful, and that’s one reason why we run the Scam Ads Alert System so that consumers can report to us when they do see these ads, and so that we can play a small part in helping to disrupt these scam ads.”.
Data from the watchdog’s Scam Ad Alert System found that scam ads containing famous figures made up the “vast majority” of the alerts it sent to platforms in 2024.
