Tech giants like Meta are failing to stop fraudsters who have stolen people’s identities from carrying out impersonation scams on their platforms, Which? has claimed.

The organisation's findings come after UK Finance published figures that show £67.8 million was lost to impersonation fraud in 2022.

The consumer champion said that while fraud cases of these nature are not uncommon, it had received a particularly concerning complaint from a victim of identity fraud who had his wallet stolen on a night out in 2019.

Carwyn Roberts lives in Leeds but his driving licence contained the address of his mother’s home in North Wales.

The scammer created several listings for fake high-value goods on Facebook Marketplace using Roberts’ identity, adding his mother's address as the sender's contact details.

The owner of the fake listings then promised to send items via post or courier, using the driving licence to convince potential buyers and asking for payment through a bank transfer.

A number of buyers have turned up to the North Wales address when the items do not arrive, which has led to Roberts' mother being fearful of people knocking at her door. Since 2020, his mother has been visited eight times.

Carwyn has contacted Facebook multiple times to get fake accounts using his identity closed down. While Facebook closed some accounts, Carwyn said the social media giant seems to have become less diligent at removing posts, even ignoring his most recent reports. It was only after Which? intervened that Facebook removed the newer fraudulent posts.

Which? says that unlike other online marketplaces, Facebook does not have protections for buyers and sellers because it does not verify the products for sale on the platform. It is also unable to verify whether a buyer or seller received what was agreed upon between them.

The organisation said that it concerned at the "ease" at which scammers can set up these fake accounts without being shut down.

"I dread seeing a call from my Mum these days as I’m always scared that it’s a call to notify me of another person showing up at her door," said Roberts. "It’s sad to think that I’m anxious when she calls."

He continued: “To add to that the Police and Meta haven’t been interested whatsoever in this. It’s created a feeling of helplessness.”

Roberts contacted Facebook several times to get fake accounts using his identity closed down. The Meta-owned company did close down some accounts, but he said that the company appears to have become less diligent at removing posts and ignored his most recent reports.

Which? said that it was only after it intervened that Facebook removed the newer fraudulent posts.

Meta told Which? that it had taken action against the account in line with their policies. It also said it does not allow fraudulent activity on its site and is "investing heavily" into new technologies to strengthen safety and security on its platform.

“It’s hugely concerning that Carwyn’s identity is still being stolen to defraud innocent people," said Sam Richardson, deputy editor, Which? Money. “It’s also worrying to hear that Facebook appears to have become slower to remove the fraudulent posts, leaving Carwyn, his girlfriend and his mother vulnerable to more anxiety."

Which? has called on the government's fraud strategy to go further to force social media companies to stop malicious content appearing on their platforms.

The fraud strategy currently states that social media firms will enter a voluntary agreement to share data on how they can prevent criminals using their channels to commit fraud.

However, Which? says it is concerned that a voluntary approach will "not be enough" to incentivise platforms to act now.

Share Story: