British consumer expert Martin Lewis is suing Facebook for defamation, accusing the company of failing to stop scammers from using his image and name in advertisements. Lewis, who founded MoneySavingE
British consumer expert Martin Lewis is suing Facebook for defamation, accusing the company of failing to stop scammers from using his image and name in advertisements. Lewis, who founded MoneySavingExpert.com and hosts ITV's The Martin Lewis Money Show, filed the high court lawsuit as an individual rather than through his company. He is seeking exemplary damages and plans to donate any money he receives to anti-scam organizations.
Lewis announced the suit in a blog post, saying more than 50 fraudulent ads bearing his likeness have appeared on Facebook during the past year, reaching millions of UK users. The fake advertisements featured schemes like Bitcoin Code and Cloud Trader, both promising huge returns through binary trading options. The UK's Financial Conduct Authority warns that binary trading functions as a near-certain way to lose money. In one case, scammers withdrew over £100,000 from a woman through one of these schemes, though she recovered her money because she had paid by credit card.
"Enough is enough," Lewis said. "I've been fighting for over a year to stop Facebook letting scammers use my name and face to rip off vulnerable people – yet it continues."
Lewis has informed Facebook multiple times that he does not endorse advertisements. He contends that the platform has sophisticated face and text recognition capabilities and could verify ads with him before publication. Instead, he bears the burden of reporting fraudulent ads after they've already spread and caused harm.
"It's time Facebook was made to take responsibility," Lewis said. "It claims to be a platform not a publisher – yet this isn't just a post on a web forum, it is being paid to publish, promulgate and promote what are often fraudulent enterprises."
According to Lewis, even when Facebook removes some advertisements, many stay online for days or weeks. After the company takes down one ad, scammers launch another campaign with a matching format and continue deceiving people.
Facebook announced a ban on cryptocurrency advertisements in January following reports that it would establish a new policy against "misleading and deceptive promotional practices" involving ICOs and digital currencies. While Lewis acknowledged the policy's existence, he said Facebook does not enforce it.
Mark Lewis, the lawyer at Seddons law firm handling the case, said: "Facebook is not above the law – it cannot hide outside the UK and think that it is untouchable."
