Digital Platforms Accused of Exposing Seniors to Financial Fraud

European consumer protection organisations have filed official complaints against Google, Meta and TikTok, accusing these platforms of doing too little to protect users from the financial scams proliferating online. The legal action is aimed in particular at protecting vulnerable individuals, including older people, who are frequently targeted by digital fraudsters.

The complaints were filed under the Digital Services Act, the European legislation that requires major platforms to combat illegal and harmful content more effectively. The European Consumer Organisation, together with 29 member organisations from 27 European countries, argues that the platforms do not proactively remove fraudulent adverts and respond extremely slowly even when they receive official notifications.

Platforms ignoring fraud reports

The data presented by the complainant organisations reveals a troubling picture: between December 2023 and March 2024, nearly 900 adverts suspected of breaching European legislation were reported. Of these, only 27% were actually removed by the platforms, while 52% of reports were rejected or ignored entirely.

This negligence has a particularly severe impact on older people, who are frequently targeted by sophisticated scams involving fake investment adverts, miracle medical products or fraudulent financial services. Seniors, often being less familiar with modern online deception tactics, become easy victims of these schemes.

Serious consequences for vulnerable users

The lack of effective moderation allows fraudsters to reach millions of European consumers every day, exploiting in particular the vulnerability of older people. They are frequently lured by false promises relating to medical treatments, guaranteed-return investments or products claiming to improve their health.

Consumer protection organisations are now calling on European authorities to investigate whether the platforms are complying with the provisions of the Digital Services Act and to impose firm sanctions. Fines can reach up to 6% of a company's total annual global turnover — a sum that could bring about genuine change in how these issues are addressed.

Pressure on social platforms is mounting steadily at an international level, driven in particular by the negative impact on vulnerable users. The European Union is attempting to compel the technology giants to take greater responsibility for the content they distribute, with a particular focus on protecting those categories of people most at risk, including older adults.