A survey, conducted in April 2024 among adults in the United Kingdom (UK), found that most of the encounters with online advertisement facilitating perceived illegal activity, such as scams or cybercrime, happened on social media. Nearly 60 percent of the respondents claiming to have seen such ads online stated they had seen them on social networks. Additionally, search engines and online shopping platforms followed, with respectively 14 and 12 percent of respondents naming them.
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Online spaces adults in the United Kingdom (UK) encountered online ads facilitating perceived illegal activity as of April 2024
Characteristic
Share of respondents
Social media website or app
58%
A search engine
14%
Shopping website or app
12%
"Adult" site containing sexual content
7%
Specialized hobby or interest websites
6%
Website or blog for independent content creator
6%
News website or app
5%
Gaming website or app
2%
Other
3%
Don't know
13%
Prefer not to say
1%
0%5%10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%50%55%60%65%
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adults who say they have definitely seen at least one form of illegal advertisement in the past 12 months
Supplementary notes
Original question: "Still thinking about the last time you saw an advertisement online that you considered to be for an illegal product or service, what type of site or service were you using when you saw this advertisement?"
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GOV.UK. (October 30, 2024). Online spaces adults in the United Kingdom (UK) encountered online ads facilitating perceived illegal activity as of April 2024 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 04, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1546632/uk-online-ads-illegal-activity-platforms/
GOV.UK. "Online spaces adults in the United Kingdom (UK) encountered online ads facilitating perceived illegal activity as of April 2024." Chart. October 30, 2024. Statista. Accessed July 04, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1546632/uk-online-ads-illegal-activity-platforms/
GOV.UK. (2024). Online spaces adults in the United Kingdom (UK) encountered online ads facilitating perceived illegal activity as of April 2024. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 04, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1546632/uk-online-ads-illegal-activity-platforms/
GOV.UK. "Online Spaces Adults in The United Kingdom (Uk) Encountered Online Ads Facilitating Perceived Illegal Activity as of April 2024." Statista, Statista Inc., 30 Oct 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1546632/uk-online-ads-illegal-activity-platforms/
GOV.UK, Online spaces adults in the United Kingdom (UK) encountered online ads facilitating perceived illegal activity as of April 2024 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1546632/uk-online-ads-illegal-activity-platforms/ (last visited July 04, 2025)
Online spaces adults in the United Kingdom (UK) encountered online ads facilitating perceived illegal activity as of April 2024 [Graph], GOV.UK, October 30, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1546632/uk-online-ads-illegal-activity-platforms/
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