Overview
- Martin Lewis and Which? sent a letter to the Prime Minister on Wednesday urging him to direct Ofcom to begin enforcement against platforms that host scams, in a week when the FCA warned of fake car insurance sold on social apps.
- They argue tech firms run frictionless ad systems that let scam ads go live without proper checks and say the companies profit from this activity.
- The letter cites research estimating platforms make about £3.8 billion a year from scam adverts targeting users across Europe.
- They highlight the scale of harm with figures showing 66% of authorised push payment fraud started on major platforms in the first half of 2025 and a 55% rise in investment scams, with APP fraud meaning victims are tricked into sending bank transfers.
- They also point to AI deepfakes that misused the images of Martin Lewis, Deborah Meaden and Richard Branson, while the government says it is deploying £79 million to fight fraud and that the Online Safety Act requires platforms to remove illegal scam content.