YouTube users, advertisers and marketing experts have told Metro they have encountered ‘scam’ advertisements on the platform.
Online ads work by showing a user products or services they’d be interested in – a runner may see banners for trainers, for example.
But some ads on the video-sharing website owned by Google, as described by users or seen by Metro, have taken a different approach.
Users claim to have seen ads for non-existent government programmes, discount drones, honey rituals that ‘prevent memory loss’ and ‘biblical solutions’ to toenail fungus.
‘I saw an advert of a woman with a penis in her face’
Billy Ray, 72, from Indianapolis, told Metro he saw three explicit adverts in one day, ‘usually of a woman performing fellatio or women with multiple penises in her face’.
While not vulgar, Bruce Simpson, 72, told Metro that he has seen ads for ‘impossible’ products – portable heaters that can heat a room in two minutes or ‘robot toy dogs’ considered a scam by experts.
He has flagged dozens through the platform’s in-built report system and to YouTube’s support team on X.
Bruce said: ‘From time to time, I’ve kept the pressure on, but the ads just keep running weeks or months after being reported.’
TeamYouTube stressed to Bruce on X that review teams are investigating, which might ‘take time’.
Arin Hjorulfr, from Halmstad, Sweden, saw an ad in November that claimed the Swedish government is offering Swedes SEK 30,000 (£2,400).
He also saw another advert ‘approved by the government’, yet clicking the links to both ads led to ‘spam websites’.
‘They try to make it look like they are a Swedish newspaper, but all are fake and lead deeper into the scam,’ Arin said.
When Metro tried to access these links this week, most returned an error message.
TeamYouTube told Arin: ‘Ads that violate our policies shouldn’t be showing up on YouTube (just like any other content that violates policies, we work quickly to remove it once we’re made aware).
‘If you run into an inappropriate ad, it helps us address it if you report it.’
A Swedish government spokesperson told Metro: ‘I can confirm that these ads are not from the Swedish Government Offices.’
How do ads work on YouTube and are they regulated?
Companies secure ad space on social media platforms through an automated auction, where bids happen in milliseconds when a user loads a video or scrolls down their feed.
Viewers are twice more likely to buy something they saw on YouTube, according to Google.
The company has said it has rigorous advertising policies and invests significantly in ad quality and consumer experience.
Dishonest, clickbaity and sexualised advertising is strictly prohibited. Advertisers must go through identity checks, comply with local laws and content is reviewed by automated systems and staff.
Google removed more than 5.1billion bad ads and 9.1billion restricted ads last year.
Why would scammers use YouTube videos?
As tech platforms rarely reveal advertising data, most stories of phoney promos are anecdotal.
But experts told Metro several factors contribute to crummier ads.
Two years ago, Tom Bourlet, the head of marketing at Modern World Business Solutions, saw ads for Japanese courses after looking at flights to Japan.
Now he’s shown promotions for children’s apps and far-flung restaurants as well as ‘terrible’ AI-generated ads.
Bourlet said: ‘They’re rushed together and are very obviously containing AI characters with too many fingers and a confusing dialogue.’
Tech platforms are being pushed to generate revenue wherever possible, including, Bourlet said, selling ad space.
He added: ‘You’re trusting them to always have your business interests as their core focus, when their own revenue is the most important.’
Dr Yusuf Oc, associate professor at Bayes Business School in London, has also seen low-grade adverts during his research into AI.
He told Metro: ‘One of the more concerning ads I came across recently promoted an AI tool that lets you create digital avatars of people using just a photo.
‘The ad made it sound like you could generate an AI version of someone without any real discussion of consent or safeguards.
‘It highlights how quickly ads for sensitive or ethically grey technologies can appear in your feed if the algorithm thinks you’re interested.’
Dr Oc added that if tech platforms take responsibility, strengthen vetting processes and train employees in cybersecurity, ad quality will increase.
Hone John Tito, the co-founder of the video game server provider Game Host Bros, said he worries ad quality is also impacting advertisers.
He said: ‘YouTube runs advertisements for “Free Minecraft Servers” or “100 Hours Uptime for $1” right next to our content. These are scams.’
Scammers are turning to social media adverts to lure users into handing over their data, a scam called ‘malvertising’, Marijus Briedis, the chief technology officer at NordVPN, told Metro.
Briedis said: ‘Instead of sending you obvious spam emails, scammers pay for or hijack advertising slots and then direct people off the platform to look-alike websites.
These knock-off websites may ask victims to sign in with their Google or Microsoft accounts or pay a ‘verification charge’.
‘The moment you do that, they can steal your credentials, infect your machine or both,’ added Briedis.
For Bruce, however, there’s only so much he can do while trying to find a video to watch while cooking.
‘This will be the downfall of YouTube as a platform,’ he said.
Google has been approached for comment.
How to report ads on YouTube
To report a YouTube ad, people can click More/Info then select Report ad.
People can stop seeing an ad by selecting More or Info and then clicking Block ad.
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