Tesco alerts police as supermarket becomes latest victim of scam ‘endorsement’ ads
Summary
Tesco and other well-known companies and sports stars have been targeted by unlicensed online casinos using fake advertisements on Facebook and Instagram. These ads falsely suggest that the brands or athletes support or own these casinos, even though the casinos do not have legal permission to operate in Britain.Key Facts
- Tesco alerted the City of London police after its brand was used in fake casino ads on social media.
- The fake "Tesco casino" claimed to be official but lacked a legal gambling license in Great Britain.
- Other brands like Barclays and Monzo, and sports stars like Lewis Hamilton, Tyson Fury, Jude Bellingham, and Bruno Fernandes, have had their images used without permission by these scams.
- The Gambling Commission and Advertising Standards Authority know about this issue but have struggled to stop the ads.
- Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram) removed some ads after being contacted but says verifying advertiser compliance is the advertisers’ responsibility.
- Some fake casinos use AI-generated images and misleading messages to trick people.
- Athletes like Tyson Fury have publicly denied any connection to the fake gambling promotions.
- Tesco referred the issue to the National Cyber Security Centre and Report Fraud services.
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