Facebook and Google ‘lack controls to prevent fraudsters posting scam ads online’
FRAUDSTERS are able to post scam ads on Facebook and Google without being caught - and these could be used to trick victims out of money, according to an investigation by Which?.
The consumer group created two linked fake companies to back up their claims.
It comes following a huge spike in coronavirus scams, which have so far cost victims a total of £5million – an average of £2,400 per person.
While Google and Facebook have improved ad transparency and toughened rules in recent years, it is still possible for false advertising to slip through the net.
They found Google did review the ads submitted, but failed to verify if the business was real and didn’t ask for ID.
In under an hour, the adverts were approved by the search engine firm for both dummy businesses, gaining almost 100,000 impressions over the space of a month.
How to protect yourself from scams
BY keeping these tips in mind, you can avoid getting caught up in a scam:
- Firstly, remember that if something seems too good to be true, it normally is.
- Check brands are "verified" on Facebook and Twitter pages - this means the company will have a blue tick on its profile.
- Look for grammatical and spelling errors; fraudsters are notoriously bad at writing proper English. If you receive a message from a “friend” informing you of a freebie, consider whether it’s written in your friend’s normal style.
- If you’re invited to click on a URL, hover over the link to see the address it will take you to – does it look genuine?
- To be on the really safe side, don’t click on unsolicited links in messages, even if they appear to come from a trusted contact.
- Be careful when opening email attachments too. Fraudsters are increasingly attaching files, usually PDFs or spreadsheets, which contain dangerous malware.
- If you receive a suspicious message then report it to the company, block the sender and delete it.
- If you think you've fallen for a scam, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use its .
A fake advert for Natural Hydration - a dummy service offering pseudo health and hydration advice - was displayed above the official NHS Scotland pages when users searched for "hydration advice".
Using a personal account, Which? created a Facebook business page for Natural Hydration and produced a range of posts with pseudo health advice to promote it.
The consumer group says a paid promotion of the page gained some 500 likes in the space of a week.
Which? says their findings spark fears that consumers could be misled into buying dodgy products, or even tricked into a financial scam.
Facebook responded saying the page set up by Which? does not violate its community standards and is not currently selling products.
It said: "We remove harmful misinformation that could contribute to physical harm, such as false health claims, and have strict policies against deceptive advertising and scams."
Google has already set out plans to introduce new rules in the UK from early 2021 which will require all advertisers to complete an identity verification programme.
The company said: "We have strict advertising policies in place to protect consumers and prohibit ads that intentionally mislead users or fail to deliver on the promoted product or service.
"When we become aware of ads that violate our policies, we take action.
"We are also constantly evaluating our policies and enforcement systems platforms."
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Morrisons and Tesco shoppers have also been targeted by fraudsters in coronavirus scams.
While John Lewis shoppers have been warned about a scam offering £100 vouchers.
And Action Fraud reported that .
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