Nicosia, Cyprus. Google has rejected claims that it is failing to tackle fraudulent advertising on its platforms after Cyprus and European consumer groups filed a complaint against Meta, TikTok and Google alleging breaches of the Digital Services Act (DSA).
Complaint filed by Cyprus association and EU consumer groups
The complaint was submitted on May 21 by the Cyprus consumers association, in cooperation with 281 consumer organisations from EU member states and under the coordination of the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC).
Evidence-gathering cites widespread financial fraud
The filing followed an evidence-gathering exercise carried out between December 2025 and March 2026 by the BEUC and 13 consumer associations, which said it found financial fraud remains widespread across Meta, TikTok and Google’s platforms.
The consumer groups said the findings showed the companies had systematically failed to take effective corrective measures, despite obligations under the DSA.
In total, 893 fraudulent advertisements were identified and flagged across 13 countries, with the ads active on one or more of the three platforms.
Google response
A Google spokesperson rejected the claims, saying the company takes significant steps to prevent fraudulent content from appearing on its services.
“This complaint distorts the way we fight fraud and presents inherent weaknesses,” the spokesperson told Politis.
“We take extensive measures to keep fraud off our platforms, blocking over 99 per cent of ads that violate our policies before they even run,” the spokesperson added.
Broader pressure on online platforms
European consumer groups are stepping up pressure on major online platforms, arguing that fraudulent financial ads continue to expose users to scams and that existing controls are not doing enough to prevent them from appearing online.
The complaint also places renewed scrutiny on how large technology companies apply their internal advertising policies in practice, particularly in cases where scam ads are identified by users, authorities or consumer associations.
What steps do you think online platforms should take to prevent fraudulent financial ads from appearing?