Ofcom's consultation on its draft Fraudulent Advertising Codes of Practice closes at 5pm this Friday (2 October). If you buy ads on the big platforms, it deserves ten minutes of your week.
Published on 10 July under the Online Safety Act, the draft codes set out nearly 40 measures for the largest social media and search services. The Guardian and the BBC both name Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, X and YouTube among them. Platforms would have to ban scam advertisers and stop them returning under new accounts, check that people opening ad accounts really work for the business they claim to, confirm banking and investment advertisers are legally allowed to advertise, for example by being FCA registered, and rigorously test their AI ad-creation tools for misuse. Law enforcement would get a dedicated channel to flag scam ads for swift removal.
Ofcom estimates UK victims lose over £200m a year to these scams, and says 51% of online adults have seen a potentially fraudulent ad. Once Parliament approves the codes, platforms that fall short face fines of up to £18m or 10% of global revenue, whichever is greater. Ofcom's final statement is due by mid-2027 at the latest.
Why it matters: platforms will carry the checks, but advertisers will feel them. Expect more questions at sign-up and more friction for new accounts, with small businesses buying through self-serve noticing first. That's a fair trade for cleaner feeds, as long as the checks are quick and proportionate. Ofcom says a short response on a single point is fine, so if you have a view on how verification should work, send it before Friday.
Sources: Ofcom consultation, Ofcom announcement, Guardian and BBC News.