Consumer organizations file complaint against Meta, TikTok, and Google over fraudulent ads

On May 21, 2026, the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and 28 national consumer groups, including the Cyprus Consumers Association, filed a complaint against Meta, TikTok, and Google. The complaint alleges systematic violations of the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA) regarding the prevalence of fraudulent and deceptive advertisements. The action follows an investigation conducted between December 2025 and March 2026, which identified 893 fraudulent ads across 13 European countries. Consumer groups argue that the platforms fail to proactively detect or remove illicit content, even after being notified of potential fraud. Findings indicate that Meta reportedly rejected 43% of reported fraudulent ads, while TikTok removed 21%, with the latter claiming another 37% were already removed before review. The organizations assert that these failures pose significant financial risks to consumers and demand immediate regulatory intervention to enforce platform accountability under the DSA.