Google Acts on Scam/Fake Financial Adverts

By J Drew -

 The FCA seem to be powerless to act on stopping financial scam advertising but Google is taking action to ensure that anyone advertising to UK consumers is FCA regulated or has been validated against the opt-out conditions. This wouldn't have stopped the likes of London Capital and Finance but many current advertisers are promoting unsuitable products to UK consumers such as the one below.



Dear Advertiser,
Google will be updating the Google Ads Financial Products and Services policy in August, 2021, to introduce new verification requirements for Financial Services advertisers targeting the UK. We will publish the policy update on August 30, 2021, and enforcement will take effect seven days later. Advertisers that have not successfully completed the updated verification process by the time enforcement begins will no longer be allowed to show financial services ads of any kind in the UK, including showing ads to UK users who appear to be seeking financial services.
You can learn more about the new UK Financial Services verification requirements and initiate verification here
Details of the updated policy
In order to show financial services ads of any kind in the UK - including showing ads to UK users who appear to be seeking financial services - advertisers will need to be verified by Google. As part of the verification process, advertisers must demonstrate that they are authorized by the UK Financial Conduct Authority or qualify for one of the exemptions described in the UK Financial Services verification page Please note that this requirement covers financial services regulated by and not regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority.
Advertisers can initiate verification, or Google may require an advertiser to complete the verification process. Advertisers that fail to complete step 2 of verification within the time given will have their accounts paused. Learn more about UK Financial Services verification
Ads related to the following categories will not be considered financial services for the purposes of this policy, but are still required to comply with all other Google Ads policies:
Products in scope of our Debt services policy
Products in scope of our Complex speculative financial products policy: contracts for difference, rolling spot forex, financial spread betting. Ads for this category will be able to target UK users seeking financial services as long as they meet the requirements of our Complex speculative financial products policy and complete verification if requested by Google.
Gambling (see our Gambling and Games policy
Products in scope of our Cryptocurrencies, Credit repair, and Binary options policies
Violations of this policy will not lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning. A warning will be issued, at least 7 days, prior to any suspension of your account.
Please review this policy update to determine whether or not any of your ads fall in scope of the policy, and if so, complete UK Financial Services verification or remove those ads before September 6, 2021.
Thank you for your cooperation.

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