Ofcom has proposed a new set of UK rules requiring major social media and search platforms to take stronger action against paid-for scam adverts.
Announced on 10 July 2026, the regulator’s draft Fraudulent Advertising Code contains nearly 40 measures intended to prevent fraudulent adverts from reaching users and make it harder for offenders to return after being removed.
The proposals form part of the continuing implementation of the Online Safety Act. They are not yet legally binding: Ofcom’s consultation runs until 2 October, with final decisions due in 2027 before the code is submitted for parliamentary approval.
Platforms could be required to verify advertisers
Under the proposals published by Ofcom, the largest online platforms would be expected to introduce stronger controls at several points in the advertising process.
The proposed measures include:
- checking that people opening advertising accounts genuinely represent the organisation they claim to work for;
- banning accounts responsible for scam adverts and preventing offenders from creating replacements;
- confirming that advertisers promoting banking or investment services are legally authorised;
- strengthening protection against legitimate accounts being hijacked and used to distribute scams;
- testing AI advert-creation tools to reduce the risk of criminals misusing them; and
- providing trusted organisations, including law enforcement bodies, with dedicated routes for reporting fraudulent adverts.
Ofcom also plans a separate consultation on technology that could identify and filter fraudulent advertising before it is published.
Existing Online Safety Act duties already require services within scope to tackle fraudulent user-generated content. The latest proposals are specifically intended to address the separate problem of paid-for advertising.
Scam advertising is also a business trust problem
Ofcom says 51% of UK adults who are online have encountered a potentially fraudulent advert on social media, search services or video-sharing platforms. More than a third report seeing them frequently, while the regulator estimates that victims lose more than £200 million to this type of fraud in an average year.
The damage is not confined to individual victims. Fraudsters frequently imitate recognisable companies, financial organisations and public figures, borrowing their names, branding or online identities to make a false offer appear credible.
For legitimate businesses, the immediate development is not a new advertising compliance deadline. It is the prospect of stricter identity checks, account controls and reporting processes on the platforms they use to reach customers.
Those changes could help reduce impersonation, but they may also alter how genuine advertisers prove who they are. Businesses using paid social or search advertising may therefore need to watch for updated verification requirements from individual platforms as the regulatory process develops.
The proposals also reinforce the value of maintaining consistent company information across adverts, social accounts and the organisation’s own website. When customers are unsure whether an offer is genuine, a clear route back to an established website and verified contact details can help them check what they have seen.
The measures are not yet in force
Ofcom has encouraged platforms to improve their safeguards immediately, but the specific measures remain proposals. The final code may change in response to the consultation, and businesses should not treat the draft requirements as settled law.
Once approved and brought into force, platforms that fail to meet their duties could face enforcement action. The maximum penalty available under the Online Safety Act is £18 million or 10% of worldwide revenue, whichever is greater.
The consultation will determine exactly what major platforms must do and how quickly the requirements will take effect. Until then, the announcement establishes the direction of travel: platforms that profit from online advertising are likely to carry more direct responsibility for checking who is advertising and preventing known fraudsters from repeatedly reaching UK users.
