The Association of Consumer Support Organisations (ACSO) has responded to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) consultation on the Online Advertising Programme (OAP).
Cara Elliott, policy and public affairs advisor says "it is encouraging to see the OAP proposing to cover a much wider scope than that of the Online Safety Bill (OSB). It holds greater potential to do more to combat online fraudulent advertising and in turn protect the consumer from such harms.
"While there are strict rules already in place to combat some fraudulent advertisements, there are huge cracks in the regulatory system which do not offer meaningful disincentives for bad actors. As a result, there are large numbers of victims of online fraud who are suffering from great psychological and financial stress. For those who fall into a vulnerable category, the consequences of victimhood are magnified.
"The consultation outlines some of the instances and effects of ad targeting which can come in numerous formats. It fails, however, to mention specific instances of targeting that many in the legal services sector are all too familiar with. Many fraudsters who use pay-per-click advertising services in order to appear at the top of search results are successfully duping consumers who, after an accident, look up their insurer's details and are in turn caught out by fraudulent ads. This behaviour directly targets those in times of stress and hardship and can have devastating consequences on victims."
Finally, Elliott concludes by saying that "full statutory regulation is likely to be the most effective way in which to increase accountability and transparency. Although such measures are likely to be costly and time consuming, online advertising is a key component of the digital economy and is likely to continue to grow along with its associated issues. Substantial and comprehensive intervention will be more effective sooner rather than later."