European consumer groups file EU complaint over scam ads on Meta, Google, TikTok

Fourteen consumer organisations, including Denmark’s Consumer Council Tænk, have filed a complaint with the European Commission accusing Meta, TikTok and Google of violating the Digital Services Act by failing to tackle scam advertisements on their platforms.

The organisations allege that the tech giants do not reduce the spread of scam ads, make it difficult to report such content, and ignore reports that are submitted. “Tech platforms have become the preferred hunting grounds for criminals,” said Winni Grosbøll, director of the Consumer Council Tænk. “It is overflowing with scam ads for fake investment offers, consumer loans, and various webshops, costing victims many millions of kroner each year.”

As part of the complaint, the groups collected and reported 900 scam advertisements. According to them, only 27 percent were removed by the platforms. Another 21 percent had already been removed for other reasons by the time the reports were processed.

Meta said in a written response that it is “fully dedicated to our obligations under the Digital Services Act” and that it removes 92 percent of scam ads before they are reported. Google pointed to its own report showing that 99 percent of all harmful ads are stopped before reaching users. TikTok did not respond to a request for comment.

Meta rejected the figures from the consumer organisations, saying they “do not reflect how we work to combat fraud.” The consumer groups argue that the platforms profit from the ads and should be forced to compensate victims. “We must be honest and say that tech giants like Meta make a lot of money from scam ads, often more than the cost of a fine,” Grosbøll said.

A report from the Global Anti-scam Alliance found that 38 percent of digital fraud occurred via social media in the third quarter of 2025. Fraud expert Sune Gabelgård, with experience from the police, Nets, and Danske Bank, said internal documents obtained by Reuters last year suggested Meta earned $16 billion annually from scam ads and illegal goods. Meta denied the figure, calling it an estimate that includes too much, and declined to provide the actual number.

Christel Schaldemose, a Danish Social Democrat MEP and vice-president of the European Parliament, said she was “shocked that not more is happening” and backed the complaint. “The law is clear,” she said. “They are obliged to take it down when this happens.”