New laws and a task force have been proposed by the government to tackle a rise in fake, illegal and inappropriate online adverts.
Social media sites, websites and services which distribute adverts across the internet have been told they will have to be tougher when regulating adverts, part of a plan to stop children seeing adverts for 18+ products like alcohol, tobacco or gambling.
Part of the clampdown includes curbing the number of malware-ridden popups and reducing the number of adverts for illegal items like weapons or drugs, said the government paper.
Criminals can use these fake ads to earn a steady income, according to research from consumer champion Which?
Rocio Concha, director of policy and advocacy at Which? said: “Organised crime gangs have been able to exploit gaps in online advertising regulation to make almost a million pounds in a day using a smash-and-grab model that bombards consumers.”
In the current system, online adverts are self-regulated and then overseen by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
However, the ASA does not have any power to stop the negative effect of illegal adverts, instead, it's only able to hold legitimate businesses accountable for harmful ads.
The government is now searching for a new regulator to tackle the illegal advert epidemic.
Creative industries minister John Whittingdale said: “We will make sure that our proposed regulation helps keep people safe while supporting and enhancing the legitimate advertising industry so it can maximise its innovation and potential.”
The government also wishes to reduce the number of fake celebrity scam ads, especially with the rise of deep fakes and AI.
Anti-fraud champion Anthony Browne said: “Eighty per cent of fraud is cyber-enabled, and it often starts with fraudulent posts and adverts on social media. I am therefore pleased to see new measures being introduced to tackle these.”
In the UK, online advertising accounts for around £26bn, or three-quarters, of the £34.8bn total spent last year.