Google, Meta, TikTok face EU consumer complaints about handling of financial scams
It signifies growing pressure worldwide on Big Tech to do more to address the negative impacts of social media
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[BRUSSELS] Alphabet’s Google, Meta Platforms and TikTok were hit with complaints from EU consumer groups on Thursday (May 21) for allegedly failing to protect users from financial scams on their platforms.
The move highlights growing pressure worldwide on Big Tech to do more to address the negative impacts of social media, particularly for children and vulnerable users.
The complaints, filed by the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and 29 of its members in 27 European countries, were submitted to the European Commission and national regulators under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The act requires large online platforms to do more to tackle illegal and harmful content.
BEUC director-general Agustin Reyna said: “Meta, TikTok and Google not only fail to proactively remove fraudulent ads but also do little when being notified about such scams.
“If they fail to address the financial scams circulating on their platforms, fraudsters will continue to reach millions of European consumers daily, leaving people at risk of losing hundreds to thousands of euros to fraud.”
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A Google spokesperson disputed the groups’ assertion, saying: “We strictly enforce our ad policies, blocking over 99 per cent of violating ads before they ever run. Our teams constantly update these defences to stay ahead of scammers and protect people.”
Meta or TikTok did not immediately respond to queries.
The consumer groups said they reported nearly 900 ads suspected of breaching EU laws between December 2025 and March 2026.
However, the platforms only took down 27 per cent of the ads and 52 per cent of the reports were rejected or ignored.
The groups urged regulators to investigate whether the companies were complying with the rules.
They were also urged to impose fines for breaches.
DSA fines can reach as much as 6 per cent of a company’s global annual turnover. REUTERS
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