Millions scammed on tech platforms despite pledge to tackle online fraud

Millions of people have been scammed on big tech platforms even after the firms signed a ‘world first’ pledge to do more to tackle online fraud, new research has revealed.

Around 6.6 million people in the UK have lost money to online scams in the last year, according to Which?.

And three quarters of those conned fell victim on the websites of technology giants who previously committed to the government’s voluntary Online Fraud Charter in November 2023.

Tech companies – including Amazon, Facebook, Google, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X and YouTube – vowed to adopt ‘a raft of measures’ within six months to protect users from scam content.

These included verifying new advertisers and quickly removing any fraudulent content but scammers appear to still be running rampant on their platforms, according to Which? research.

The consumer group surveyed over 2,000 adults about the impact the Online Fraud Charter has had on the number of scams they see online and whether they feel safer.

A fifth of people said they have come across suspicious adverts or messages every day in the last six months, with some experiencing this as much as several times a day.

Nearly two thirds of the 6.6 million consumers scammed in the last year fell victim on social media but fraud was also frequent on search engines, online marketplaces and messaging platforms.

Some people were conned on more than one platform but the most popular site for scams was Facebook where 37 per cent fell victim followed by Google with 33 per cent and Instagram with 20 per cent.

While 18 per cent were each scammed on Amazon and WhatsApp.

Since the tech firms agreed to take action to tackle online fraud, Which? has discovered scores of scam adverts online including on investments, luxury advent calendars, restaurant offers and winter fuel payments.

It has left almost three quarters of adults distrustful of the ads they see on social media or search engines and a third are less likely to trust online platforms now, compared to a year ago.

Consumer group Which? is calling on the government to bring forward implementation of the Online Safety Act and fines for firms that fail to stamp out online fraud.

Its director of policy and advocacy Rocio Concha said: ‘For every week the government fails to take action, we lose millions to fraudsters and organised crime groups.

‘The government and regulators need to act urgently to tackle the fraud epidemic or risk millions more falling victim to scammers.’

Meta, Google, Amazon, TikTok, X and Snapchat were contacted for comment.