Social Media’s £3.8 Billion Scam Ad Conundrum

Imagine the platforms you rely on for daily social media marketing profiting massively from deceptive content. A recent report by Juniper Research (commissioned by Revolut) reveals social media platforms generate approximately £3.8 billion annually from scam ads targeting European users. It’s a huge financial engine for the platforms, and causes a huge issue for legitimate businesses struggling grow sales online.

What this means for marketers

This highlights a critical challenge in online advertising: while platofrms benefit from every impression, legitimate businesses face a double hit. Their ads compete directly with fraudulent ones, and consumers become more wary of all advertising, not just the bad actors. This erosion of trust can significantly impact marketing ROI and brand reputation, forcing marketers to work harder and spend more to achieve the same results.

• The scale of deception: In 2025, European users saw nearly one trillion social media ad impressions, with about 10% linked to scams. On average, each user encountered around 160–190 scam ads last year, a number expected to rise if platforms do not strengthen their scam vetting process.
• Financial impact on users: Beyond platform revenue, consumers suffer real losses; in Ireland, the average loss per scam ad incident was just over €1,500, with platforms earning an estimated €32 million from scam ads targeting Irish consumers alone.
• Platform response: Many platforms still rely on reactive verification models, where ads are paid for and deployed before meaningful checks take place, allowing scams to proliferate. Juniper Research recommends greater transparency, more investment in manual checks, and more agile tactics to keep pace with rapidly evolving scams.

The broader implications for CMOs and marketing strategy

This rise in scam ads isn’t just a policing problem for social platforms; it is a fundamental challenge to modern CMO strategy. Chief Marketing Officers must now factor in the broader perception of digital advertising when planning campaigns, not just channel performance metrics. If consumers are constantly exposed to fraudulent content, their skepticism toward all ads (legitimate or not) will naturally increase, making authentic and transparent brand communication more crucial than ever.

Marketers need to:

• Prioritize trust: Focus on building genuine connections and transparent messaging through direct engagement, user‑generated content, and clear proof of legitimacy, such as verified profiles and real customer stories.
• Diversify ad spend: While social media remains powerful, consider diversifying your ad platforms and tactics into search, email, premium programmatic, and even offline channels to reduce exposure to scam‑heavy environments.
• Advocate for change: As an industry, marketers should push social platforms for more proactive and robust fraud‑prevention measures to protect consumers and create a healthier ecosystem for everyone.

If your internal team is stretched thin, partnering with a specialist agency like Marketeller can help you design digital marketing strategies, advertising creative, and performance campaigns that put trust and brand safety at the center without sacrificing growth.​