Safer Internet Day falls on 10 February 2026. The theme for 2026 is “Smart tech, safe choices – Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI”. The day, founded in 20024, seeks to promote safer, more responsible online technology use for children, young people, and adults.
While some security measures have progressed over the past decade, just how safe is the Internet from scammers and fraudsters?
Social media has now overtaken email as the UK’s top scam channel, accounting for over a third (34%) of reported online scam incidents. Shockingly, Meta platforms are exposing users to a staggering 15 billion “high-risk” scam ads every single day, with these dodgy adverts generating roughly $7 billion in annualised revenue for the social media giant.
Money lost to investment scams in the UK has leapt 55% in a single year. But where in the world are users most at risk from online financial scams – and what phrases do scammers most commonly used to lure them in? To help to answer this the firm BrokerChooser scraped the Meta Ads Library and analysed over 1,200 active finance-related ads to identify the countries where social media users are most vulnerable.
Where in the world are social media users the most at risk of financial scams?
| Rank | Country | Safe financial ads (%) | Risky financial ads (%) | Scam financial ads (%) | % of ads without risk disclaimers | % of ads with exaggerated claims | % of dodgy financial ads (risky + scam) |
| 1 | Poland | 0.00% | 95.83% | 4.17% | 95.65% | 95.83% | 100.00% |
| 2 | Czech Republic | 0.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | 73.68% | 78.95% | 100.00% |
| 3 | Belgium | 6.15% | 87.69% | 6.15% | 98.25% | 87.69% | 93.85% |
| 4 | Switzerland | 6.20% | 90.70% | 3.10% | 94.87% | 85.27% | 93.80% |
| 5 | Hungary | 6.25% | 93.75% | 0.00% | 96.67% | 90.63% | 93.75% |
| 6 | Finland | 15.63% | 84.38% | 0.00% | 96.30% | 84.38% | 84.38% |
| 7 | Italy | 16.44% | 80.82% | 2.74% | 89.83% | 71.23% | 83.56% |
| 8 | France | 18.18% | 77.27% | 4.55% | 68.18% | 72.73% | 81.82% |
| 9 | Netherlands | 18.42% | 81.58% | 0.00% | 87.10% | 76.32% | 81.58% |
| 10 | Sweden | 19.05% | 61.90% | 19.05% | 76.92% | 57.14% | 80.95% |
| 11 | United States | 29.41% | 64.71% | 5.88% | 53.68% | 60.29% | 70.59% |
| 12 | Portugal | 30.00% | 65.00% | 5.00% | 92.31% | 60.00% | 70.00% |
| 13 | Denmark | 33.33% | 57.14% | 9.52% | 58.33% | 57.14% | 66.67% |
| 14 | Germany | 35.71% | 61.43% | 2.86% | 52.86% | 56.67% | 64.29% |
| 15 | Spain | 36.56% | 59.14% | 4.30% | 94.55% | 53.76% | 63.44% |
| 16 | United Kingdom | 55.75% | 43.36% | 0.88% | 36.28% | 38.94% | 44.25% |
| 17 | Greece | 59.38% | 25.00% | 15.63% | 100.00% | 25.00% | 40.63% |
| 18 | Ireland | 65.00% | 35.00% | 0.00% | 57.14% | 30.00% | 35.00% |
From the above table UK social media users remain at risk despite lower exposure, with over two in five finance-related Meta ads (43.36%) targeting Brits classified as ‘high-risk’.
Poland and Czech Republic face highest risk from social media financial scams
Social media users in Poland and the Czech Republic face the greatest exposure to financial scams online, with all (100%) finance-related Meta ads identified as either risky or outright scams.
In Poland, the scale of misleading content is striking: roughly 95% of financial ads lack proper risk disclaimers and rely on exaggerated claims to entice users. Many promote high-leverage proprietary trading models that promise easy access to large sums of capital and imply guaranteed returns. Phrases such as “gives you up to $400K in buying power with none of your own capital at risk” and rapid wealth narratives like “turn $5K to $400K In just 6 weeks” create a dangerously misleading impression of low risk and effortless profit.
A similar pattern is evident in the Czech Republic, where every finance-related Meta ad analysed was considered high risk. Almost three-quarters (73.68%) of ads lack risk disclaimers, while nearly 80% promote extreme profit claims.
Belgium ranks among the top three highest-risk countries, with a striking 93.85% of finance-related Meta ads classified as dodgy. Just 6.15% of ads were considered safe, while risky ads accounted for 87.69%. AI-driven trading features prominently in several Belgian ads, with bold claims like “get super accurate AI-powered entry and exit signals – no guesswork” and “the trading bot starts working and making profits”, potentially posing a serious threat to unsuspecting users.
Overall, a sharp rise in ads promoting AI-powered trading bots was identified from the survey, often promising guaranteed profits and accurate signals while failing to disclose risks. Notably, fraudsters tend to exploit personal messaging apps, directing users to Instagram and WhatsApp to bypass platform detection.
