Meta’s Fraudulent Ads: Poland Calls for $291M EU Penalty

WARSAW, Aug 27:  Poland has urged the European Commission to impose a €250 million ($291 million) fine on Meta over fraudulent advertisements and harmful content targeting users in the country.

Polish Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski called on the EU to take action against what he described as a “Wild West” environment on Meta's platforms. He also demanded that the US-based technology company immediately introduce more effective tools to remove scams, false advertising and promotions for illegal applications.

In a letter to European Commission Executive Vice President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy Henna Virkkunen, Gawkowski said the scale of fraudulent content pointed to a serious problem with advertising practices on one of the largest online platforms operating in the European single market.

The minister said Meta had failed to take effective action despite repeated reports from Polish authorities and cybersecurity teams. “Inaction and failure to effectively combat harmful advertisements and fraudulent content targeting Polish users will not be tolerated,” he said.

The appeal follows renewed concerns over the use of artificial intelligence to create deceptive content. An AI-generated video impersonating Polish President Karol Nawrocki and promoting a fraudulent investment scheme was recently reported to have circulated on Facebook.

Polish billionaire Rafal Brzoska, founder of parcel delivery company InPost, has also criticized the unauthorized use of his image in fraudulent advertisements appearing on Meta-owned platforms.

Meta defended its efforts to combat online fraud, describing fraudulent advertising as “one of the most complex challenges currently facing digital ecosystems” and saying it requires cooperation between technology platforms, governments and law enforcement agencies.

The company said it removed around 137,000 advertisements originating in Poland between July 2025 and June 2026 for violating its fraud and scam policies. More than 88% of those advertisements were removed before users reported them, Meta said.

Gawkowski, however, said the company's measures had not demonstrated that it had adopted convincing or effective safeguards to adequately protect Polish users.