Best practices for combating scams in advertising

Every day, millions of people encounter an advertisement designed to deceive them rather than genuinely sell them something. Scam advertising has become one of the defining threats of the digital economy, eroding consumer trust, harming legitimate businesses and enabling fraud that crosses platforms, services and borders. 

Prevention matters. It protects users from harm, preserves trust in advertising and ensures that legitimate businesses – including small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – can continue to advertise without unnecessary friction or barriers.

Developed by ICC and the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), this framework offers a practical, globally relevant reference for more effective scam prevention across the advertising ecosystem. It promotes a risk-based and proportionate approach, recognising that effective safeguards must evolve alongside emerging technologies and scam tactics.

What is covered in the framework?

Principles for action

Core principles to guide industry responses, including:

• Prioritising user trust and safety
• Implementing multi-layered and adaptive safeguards
• Applying risk-based and proportionate measures
• Ensuring human oversight and accountability
• Strengthening collective defence through collaboration

Practical measures

Concrete steps for platforms, agencies and other actors to take, including:

• Risk-based advertiser verification and onboarding checks
• Continuous monitoring of advertiser activity and risk
• Enhanced safeguards for high-risk sectors (e.g. financial services)
• Safety-by-design features, including secure account protections
• Transparency tools to help users assess advertising
• Reporting and response mechanisms to identify and act on scams   

A focus on collaboration

Recognising that no single actor can address scam advertising alone, the framework emphasises:

• Cross-sector cooperation across platforms, advertisers, regulators and law enforcement
• Information sharing and threat intelligence exchange
• Enabling policy and legal frameworks to support proactive action 

Who it is for?

This framework is intended for stakeholders across the ecosystem, including:

• Digital platforms and intermediaries
• Advertisers and agencies
• Self-regulatory organisations
• Policymakers, regulators and enforcement bodies

It complements existing legal requirements while encouraging stronger, more consistent preventive practices globally.

Contact us at marketingadvertising@iccwbo.org to explore how your organisation can contribute to ongoing efforts.