Facebook under fire over binary options ads featuring Martin Lewis
One of the United Kingdom’s leading fiscal and consumer advice journalists filed a lawsuit against Facebook this week for allowing binary options and cryptocurrency ads containing his image that has ultimately caused unsuspecting consumers to lose their money.
Just three months after Facebook proclaimed it was outlawing all adverts for binary options, cryptocurrencies, and ICOs (initial coin offerings), well known British journalist and the founder of Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis is suing the company for defamation. The social media giant allowed paid Facebook ads, which promoted binary options to use his image. Individuals who clicked on the adverts and left their contact details complained that various binary options brokers contacted them.
Unfortunately, having the image of a famous person such as Lewis gives these fraudulent online trading companies an air of legitimacy. Most of the time these deceptive ads link to various imitation websites that are often designed to look exactly like genuine publications such as the BBC or CNN. One fictitious site even generated a video fabricating an endorsement from leading physicist Stephen Hawking to solicit its illegal services.
Lewis, when interviewed by Sky News stated “Enough is enough. It’s about time Facebook took responsibility. This is about stopping Facebook facilitating the ripping off of vulnerable people and destroying my reputation at the same time.” Additionally, he stated that he was aware of one particular woman who lost over 100 thousand pounds due to a fraudulent binary options advertisement with his image plastered on it.
A nightmare for Facebook
The lawsuit has the potential to turn into a nightmare for the social media titan since it is claiming that Facebook must be liable for all content that appears on their pages. A number of British analysts have stated that if Lewis wins his Facebook lawsuit, it could be in line for numerous other claims pertaining to what appears on their platform.
When pressed for a comment as to whether it would take into consideration the possibility of using its facial recognition limit the increasing number of unlawful deceptive ads featuring high-profile individuals, Facebook was unresponsive.
Take against binary options brokers
If you were the victim of a binary options scam be sure to fill out our complaint form: https://brokercomplaintregistry.com/binary-options/. Additionally, be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter so you can help spread the word and put these scammers out of business.
