Google announces steps to ban scam ads

Great news.

The bit I like the most is "Google will require financial services advertisers to complete verification based on their authorisation from the Central Bank of Ireland or other appropriate regulator. Advertises who are required to complete the process and do not, will not be allowed to show financial services ads."

The above is what I proposed in the prior thread on this and also what I said to the CBI in an email. Maybe someone is listening.

The proof will be in the pudding. Scams continue to be posted in Google Adwords. Google have not yet introduced this new procedure.

Makes so much sense that only authorized firms can advertise on Google.

Thanks @Brendan Burgess for helping push this issue strongly.

X (full of scam ads) and Meta need to adopt the same procedure.
 
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Has Google fixed the problem? No. Not yet anyway.

The scam deposit adverts and unregulated financial entries continue to advertise on Google.

Awful and shameful that Google is letting this still occur.

How long can it take Google to implement their new procedure?
 
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Just curious, where do these ads appear for people?
In the search results?
In the margins of a Google search page?
Somewhere else?
I don't see any ads on Google but that could be because of my home setup including an old (formerly Android) TV box that I pulled from the local WEEE recycling cage and which I repurposed to brun Pi-hole on Armbian Linux to eliminate most advertising etc.

Pi-hole - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Armbian - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org
 
The scam deposit adverts continue in Google deposit key words searches.

This scam has reappeared again:

Better Rates Today

The company claims to be based on Custom House Quay. Not a chance.

I have reported similar ads over the last week and Google have rejected all my reports.

Google need to adapt their new procedure of insisting that firms advertising financial products are regulated as a matter of urgency or someone needs to force them to.
 
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I just received an email from Google. Google has removed the "Better Rates Today" scam based on the report that I sent.

Mad how the reports to Google sometimes work. And sometimes don't work. But it should never get to the stage of having to be reported, these scams should be caught sooner.

There are still 2 companies that keep coming up in Google searches for deposit products that are making bold claims about their products. Namely, Moneda Capital and Investabill. Does anyone know anything about these 2 companies?
 
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Any point in ganging up on Google?

If any complainer wants to add my voice (and substantial weight!) to their complaint PM me the text and link to the ad and I'll add my email address address and jiggle the wording to confuse the AI.

I am of course working on the basis that complaints originating here are genuine and that the mods don't object. I won't mention any AAM connection or my correspondent.

This is scam-buster week on the BBC and they're tackling scammers based in what seem to be mainly Indian call centres. Great initiative.
 
euroDilbert said:
My assumption is that they don't have systems or people capable of distinguishing fake from real ads (certain types anyway).
Also, they don't care enough.
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100% agree with this. On many regulatory and compliance fronts, Google (and the majority of their fellow travellers) do the absolute minimum that they can get away with, and on many occasions put their huge resources into circumventing the spirit if not the letter of consumer protection regulations. Any improvements that have taken place are the result of EU enforcement.
 
I find it bizarre that they don’t put more effort into this as they are eating their own tail by not rooting out scam ads. Consumers will no longer click and advertisers won’t spend.

For example I gave up on Facebook Marketplace as it was so riddled with scammers.
 
Dr Strangelove said:
For example I gave up on Facebook Marketplace as it was so riddled with scammers.
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I gave up on Facebook full stop. The odd time I do need use it now (usually to get information on small businesses that don't have a website) I find that wading through so much "content" of the "we thought this might interest you" variety so off-putting that I get off it as fast as I can.
 
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