The government has announced plans to make it harder for fraudsters to scam victims online through fake adverts.

The Online Safety Bill is an upcoming law which will require online companies to tackle a range of harmful and illegal content on their platforms.

A new legal duty will be added to the Bill requiring the largest and most popular social media platforms and search engines to prevent paid-for fraudulent adverts appearing on their services.

The move comes after fake adverts have been published including criminals impersonating celebrities to steal data, access bank accounts or promote an investment the famous person has never endorsed.

The UK government also launched a consultation on the Online Advertising Programme which will act with the Online Safety Bill to improve transparency and accountability in online advertising and tighten up regulation.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has advice to help you spot online scams, report any fraudulent emails, texts, calls and adverts and Cyber Aware gives the measures that can be taken to help protect yourself online.

They also have advice on what to do if you’ve been tricked into sharing information, to recover your online accounts should you fall for a scam, and guidance on using social media safely by managing your digital footprint.

Reporting

Report all Fraud and Cybercrime to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or online. Forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk. Report SMS scams by forwarding the original message to 7726 (spells SPAM on the keypad).