Facebook is often criticized for allowing fraudulent ads to remain on its platform, and with good reason. When the company profits from these bad actors, it raises troubling questions about where its allegiances truly lie. And this problem doesn’t just affect users here in the US. According to a report released earlier this month from consumer advocacy group Which?, scam investment advertising is still thriving on both Facebook and Instagram in the UK.

According to the report, 25% of fraudulent investment advertising has to do with property, while 22% were for cryptocurrency and NFTs. Of course, these ads offer massive, risk-free paydays and last-minute investment opportunities to spur users to take immediate action. And while scams like this are common, Which? says that Facebook should have the tools at its disposal to crack down.

“It is extremely worrying that misleading and potentially fraudulent investment adverts are still being shown to Facebook and Instagram users, putting consumers at risk of immense financial and emotional harm,” consumer advocate Rocio Concha said. “If a consumer group and another charity can design algorithms and uncover these adverts then tech giants should be able to create effective systems to do the same job on a bigger scale.”

Though Facebook profits from ads like this, it’s still in the company’s best interest to take action against bad actors. After all, scams like this ultimately make the platform less usable for everyone.

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