Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what enforcement action Ofcom has taken to date against platforms hosting scam advertisements.

The Online Safety Act (OSA) lists certain fraud offences as ‘priority offences’, meaning regulated services must prevent users encountering fraudulent content, swiftly remove it if it appears, and mitigate and manage the risk of their services facilitating fraud. Ofcom, the independent regulator, has robust powers to act where services are failing in these responsibilities.

Measures under the OSA to specifically tackle fraudulent advertising are still being implemented. In the summer, Ofcom aim to publish a register of categorised services and to launch a consultation on additional duties for those designated as Category 1 or 2A to tackle paid-for fraudulent advertising.