Ofcom Wants Big Tech to Stop Scam Ads. Here's What That Means for You.
The UK's communications regulator has told the country's largest social platforms to clean up fraudulent advertising or face fines of up to 10% of their global revenue.
Key points
- More than half of UK adults have encountered potentially fraudulent adverts online, according to Ofcom figures published alongside the draft proposals.
- Ofcom named eleven platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, WhatsApp and X, as facing the toughest new requirements under the Online Safety Act.
- Companies that break the rules once they become law could be fined £18 million or 10% of global annual turnover, whichever is larger.
- Draft measures include forcing platforms to permanently ban users who post scam ads and block them from opening new accounts.
Ofcom, the UK regulator that oversees broadcasting and online services, published draft rules this week requiring major social media and video platforms to actively fight scam adverts rather than wait for complaints to trickle in.
A scam advert is a paid-for post designed to trick you into handing over money or personal details. Fake investment schemes dressed up as celebrity endorsements, imitation websites for real banks, that kind of thing. You've probably scrolled past one this week.
Ofcom says more than half of UK adults have come across these fraudulent ads online. Over a third say they see them often. That's not a niche problem.
What would the platforms actually have to do?
Under the Online Safety Act, a law passed in 2023 to impose duties of care on internet companies, Ofcom has the power to place specific obligations on the biggest services. The draft measures spell out what those obligations look like in practice.
Platforms would have to ban anyone posting scam content and stop them opening new accounts, including those who impersonate real businesses. They'd also need to take fraudulent ads down quickly once reported, rather than letting them run while a ticket works through a queue.
Firms in what Ofcom calls Category 1, the UK's largest and most popular services, face the strictest version of these duties. The named eleven are Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Quora, Reddit, Roblox, Snapchat, TikTok, WhatsApp, X and YouTube. Apple's iMessage, Meta's Messenger, Threads and Wikipedia are listed as services Ofcom is monitoring as potential future additions to that top tier.
Fines for non-compliance could reach £18 million or 10% of a company's global revenue, whichever is higher. For Meta or Google, that second figure is enormous.
Ofcom online safety director Oliver Griffiths said platforms "can start making improvements for their users now" without waiting for the rules to become final. That's a polite way of saying the regulator is already watching. Griffiths also warned that services failing to meet their legal duties "can expect to face serious consequences".
We covered Ofcom's broader enforcement posture as recently as 9 July, when Meta's image-generation tool raised fresh questions about consent and platform accountability.
The proposals are still in draft form and must pass a formal consultation before they carry legal force.
Should you worry?
If you use any of the named platforms, the practical advice is simple. Be sceptical of any advert promising unusually high investment returns or urgently demanding personal details. Report suspicious ads using the platform's own tools: that data is now something regulators will expect platforms to act on fast.
Scam ads are a social-engineering problem. Criminals use psychological pressure rather than technical exploits to take your money. Regulation matters, but it doesn't replace a moment's pause before you click.
