Social media platforms earn €32m from scam ads targeting Irish users in 2025
Research commissioned by Revolut and conducted by Juniper Research found that social media platforms earned €32 million in 2025 from scam advertisements shown to Irish users. The study estimates that across Europe, platforms generated €4.4 billion annually from fraudulent ads, representing approximately 10% of total social media advertising revenue, with Irish users losing an average of €1,500 per scam.
What happened
A study commissioned by Revolut and carried out by Juniper Research found that social media platforms earned an estimated €32 million in 2025 from scam advertisements targeting consumers in Ireland. European users were served nearly one trillion scam ads in 2025, with platforms generating around €4.4 billion annually from fraudulent advertisements, representing about 10% of all social media advertising revenue in Europe.
The research found that the average social media user encountered 164 scam ads in 2025 in Ireland, compared to 190 across Europe. Irish users lost more than €1,500 on average when falling for scams, which was higher than most other European countries.
Reported impact
Irish social media users lost on average just over €1,500 per scam advertisement. Across Europe, nearly one trillion scam ads were served in 2025, generating €4.4 billion in revenue for social media platforms from fraudulent advertisements.
If current trends continue, the research estimates that by 2030, social media companies will generate more than €13.8 billion from scam advertisements annually, with scam ad impressions in Europe exceeding 1.4 trillion and European users encountering 215 scam ads per month.
Index analysis
The research notes that social media platforms are among the primary beneficiaries of the fraud economy. Unless platforms take meaningful action to detect and block scam ads, consumers will continue paying the price.
Governance controls
Revolut stated it is committed to protecting customers' finances through secure access protocols and in-app fraud warnings. The research suggests it is in the best interest of platforms such as Meta to invest more substantially in processes that can better detect and block scam ads and the advertisers seeking to exploit social media platforms.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.