Google has rejected claims that it is failing to tackle fraudulent advertising on its platforms, after Cyprus and European consumer groups filed a complaint against Meta, TikTok and Google over alleged breaches of the digital security authority (DSA), according to a report from Politis.

The complaint was submitted on May 21 by the Cyprus consumers association, in cooperation with 281 consumer organisations from EU member states and under the coordination of the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC).

It followed an evidence-gathering exercise carried out between December 2025 and March 2026 by the BEUC and 13 consumer associations, which, according to the announcement, found that financial fraud remains widespread across Meta, TikTok and Google’s platforms.

The consumer groups said the findings showed that the companies had systematically failed to take effective corrective measures, despite the obligations set out under the DSA.

In total, 893 fraudulent advertisements were identified and flagged across 13 countries, with the ads active on one or more of the three platforms.

Responding to the complaint, a Google spokesperson rejected the claims, saying the company takes significant steps to prevent fraudulent content from appearing on its services.

“This complaint distorts the way we fight fraud and presents inherent weaknesses,” a Google spokesperson told Politis.

“We take extensive measures to keep fraud off our platforms, blocking over 99 per cent of ads that violate our policies before they even run,” they added.

The response comes as European consumer groups are stepping up pressure on major online platforms, arguing that fraudulent financial ads continue to expose users to scams and that existing controls are not doing enough to prevent them from appearing online.

The complaint also places renewed scrutiny on how large technology companies apply their internal advertising policies in practice, particularly in cases where scam ads are identified by users, authorities or consumer associations.