EU consumer groups are urging regulators to clamp down on big tech firms for failing to tackle harmful, fraudulent ads on their platforms.
Google, Meta and TikTok have been hit with complaints from European Union (EU) consumer groups for allegedly failing to protect users from financial scam ads.
The complaints were submitted to the European Commission and national regulators under the Digital Services Act by the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and 29 of its members in 27 countries.
Big tech companies have come under fire to do more to address the negative impacts of social media, particularly for children and vulnerable people. Under the Digital Services Act, large firms with online platforms are required to do more to tackle illegal and harmful content.
In the BEUC’s investigation report, Sponsored by Scammers, 13 of the consumer groups reported 893 misleading financial ads were suspected of breaching EU rules between December 2025 and March 2026. Of those, social platforms took down just 27% of the ads reported, and 52% were either rejected or ignored.
These ads included offers for short-term fast loans, crypto lending schemes, exaggerated investment returns, and other financial services from unregistered providers.
Agustin Reyna, BEUC director general, said in a statement: “Unfortunately, our research shows alarming discrepancies between what these platforms claim to do and the reality of what is happening. In fact, Meta, TikTok and Google not only fail to pro-actively remove fraudulent ads but also do little when being notified about such scams.
“It is essential to hold Meta, TikTok and Google accountable. If they fail to address the financial scams circulating on their platforms, fraudsters will continue to reach millions of European consumers daily, leaving people at risk of losing hundreds to thousands of euros to fraud.”
Big tech reject complaints
Google and Meta have rejected the complaints, citing they have worked proactively to protect users; the investigation found Google, owned by Alphabet, left 40% of fraudulent ads in place while Meta left 71% of the reported scam ads online.
A Google spokesperson told Reuters: “This complaint misrepresents how we fight scams and is inherently flawed. We take extensive measures to keep scams off our platforms, blocking over 99% of policy-violating ads before they are ever seen.”
Meta, which owns both Facebook and Instagram, has disputed this, claiming it removed more than 159 million fraudulent ads last year – 92% were removed before anyone reported it.
“We invest in advanced AI, tools, and partnerships to stop them,” a Meta spokesperson said.
This is not the first time Meta has been taken to court over allowing scam ads on its platforms. A lawsuit filed in Santa Clara County Court, California, accused the social media giant of knowingly tolerating scam advertising and fraudulent activity across Facebook and Instagram.
Meanwhile, TikTok was found to have removed 79 out of the 360 ads suspected of being fraudulent – equivalent to just over a fifth (22%).
The ByteDance-owned platform said while it takes action against such violations, scams are an industry-wide issue with bad actors constantly adapting their tactics.
The consumer groups are urging the regulators to investigate whether big tech firms are complying with EU laws and to impose fines for any breaches. Fines under the Digital Services Act could be as much as 6% of a company’s annual global turnover.
