Google in the fight against bitcoin scams



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In an international collaboration with OCCRP and journalists in various countries, Dagens Nyheter has examined fraudulent sites that sell bitcoin investments with the help of fake celebrity ads. The review has shown how fraudulent sites can buy Google ads and how they pay more for their ads to appear when someone searches for famous people used in the ads.

Google sells the names as keywords to the highest bidder.

Now Google’s head of communications is responding for Northern Europe, Mark Jansen, on questions about the work of stopping scammers. He calls it a “cat and rat game.”

Scammers are constantly developing strategies to try to bypass our systems, but we are still determined to fight them, he writes in an emailed response.

Mark Jansen writes that they have acted after receiving questions from DN and other outlets that contributed to the review.

– We have reviewed the examples you have shared and taken the necessary measures, including at the account level with the advertiser, where it has been justified.

DN’s review of four sites linked to bitcoin scams shows they bought ads and keywords on Google for more than SEK 150 million so far this year.

Those companies are only a small part, there are many more.

– We do not allow misleading ads that try to mislead or circumvent our ad review processes. In July, we also expanded our policy to better manage clicks and sensation headlines, in addition to our already strict policy banning cryptocurrency ads in Europe.

Google Communications Director for Northern Europe, Mark Jansen.

Google Communications Director for Northern Europe, Mark Jansen.

Photo: Facebook

When Dagens Nyheter tried Google’s advertising system suggested adding celebrities as search terms in combination with bitcoin. One example was presenter Fredrik Skavlan, who was widely used in fake ads. When we tried to make an ad that would appear when someone searched for the words “bitcoin gossip”, Google’s advertising system suggested that we could add “filip hammar bitcoin gossip”. Filip Hammar is another presenter who is largely used to scams.

We also see similar proposals for famous people from other countries.

– Prominent people’s names should not be unknowingly recommended for cryptocurrency campaigns in our keyword tool. Our teams are researching the examples you’ve shown to make sure this doesn’t happen in the future, says Mark Jansen.

Fredrik Skavlan says to Dagens Nyheter who is desperate if his name contributed to someone being misled.

– If it’s true that Google facilitates such a large-scale scam, I guess this is something they immediately stop with. At least for his own reputation, he says.

Fredrik Skavlan and his editorial team have repeatedly contacted the police regarding the false advertisements, but nothing has happened. Now he wants to put pressure on the big Internet companies.

– My impression is that the police in each country have no idea what to do about it. The pressure is therefore on multinational tech companies that uncritically distribute and make money from this type of content, says Fredrik Skavlan.

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