Poland Calls for €250 Million Meta Fine Over Scam Ads

Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Affairs Minister, Krzysztof Gawkowski, has asked the European Commission to investigate Meta and impose a €250 million fine over alleged shortcomings in addressing scam advertisements on Facebook and Instagram. The request was made in a letter sent to Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen on August 26, 2026.

The complaint concerns Meta’s obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA), including rules on systemic risk assessment and mitigation, advertising transparency, and notice-and-action mechanisms for illegal content. Poland argues that repeated notifications by public authorities and cybersecurity teams have not led to an effective and adequate response to fraudulent advertising.

According to Gawkowski, a cybersecurity team within Poland’s National Research Institute reported 122 allegedly fraudulent ads to Meta, with only 13% reportedly removed. He also referred to evidence collected by consumer organization BEUC, which found that, across 13 countries, platforms including Meta, Google, and TikTok removed only 27% of reported fraudulent advertisements.

The Commission confirmed that it had received the Polish letter and stated that it is already examining Meta’s compliance on this issue. Meta said it continues to work with regulators and the Commission, adding that it removed more than 159 million scam advertisements globally in the previous year. The case adds further pressure on the Commission to use its DSA enforcement powers against very large online platforms where advertising systems may expose users to persistent fraud risks.