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According to a 2026 Forbes investigation, TikTok cut the number of advertiser violations eligible for an immediate ban from 37 to 13 in fall 2025. The report says non-delivery scams no longer qualified for immediate suspension and cites internal data indicating that more than 100,000 advertisers per day who would previously have been banned were allowed to remain. Those are reported findings based on internal documents and interviews—not figures independently confirmed here. Separate FTC statistics show that scams tied to social media caused substantial reported losses, but they do not establish that TikTok’s reported policy change caused a rise in scams.
What changed in TikTok’s advertiser-ban rules, according to the report?
Forbes reported in 2026 that TikTok reduced its list of violations warranting an immediate advertiser ban from 37 to 13 in fall 2025. The investigation relied on interviews with four TikTok insiders and internal policy documents reviewed by Forbes. The documents are not publicly available in the evidence described here, so the change should be understood as Forbes’s reporting rather than as independently inspected policy records. Read the Forbes investigation as reproduced by Qoshe.
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Forbes also reported that non-delivery scams were removed from the immediate-ban category. In this kind of scam, a person sees an ad, pays for a product—sometimes presented as a deal on a familiar brand—and the goods never arrive. The report says TikTok no longer treated that conduct as severe enough to trigger immediate suspension.
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The same report cited internal data suggesting that more than 100,000 advertisers per day who would previously have been immediately banned were allowed to remain. That is a figure attributed to internal TikTok data in Forbes’s account, not a public platform statistic independently verified here.
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- Visa Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Conditions: a.co/5bw3qXJ
- When you access your Visa Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
- This Visa Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Visa Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
- Funds do not expire but your Visa Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call the Toll Free number found on your Visa Virtual eGift Card for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
- This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
Does the evidence show that the policy change caused more scams?
No. The reporting connects the rule change and scam activity, but the available figures do not prove that the change caused an increase. The Forbes account describes TikTok-specific policy categories and internal advertiser data. Federal Trade Commission statistics measure consumer reports about social-media scams across platforms; they do not isolate TikTok or test the effect of this particular rule change.
The FTC reported that consumers lost $2.1 billion in 2025 to fraud reports identifying social media as the contact method. Nearly 30% of people who reported losing money to a scam said it started on social media. The FTC also said shopping scams were the most reported type of social-media scam, and more than 40% of people reporting social-media scam losses said the scam began when they ordered something they saw in an ad. These are cross-platform reported figures, not TikTok-only counts. See the FTC’s 2025 social-media scam data.
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- Visa Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Conditions: a.co/5bw3qXJ
- When you access your Visa Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
- This Visa Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Visa Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
- Funds do not expire but your Visa Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call the Toll Free number found on your Visa Virtual eGift Card for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
- This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
In a separate August 2026 alert, the FTC said people reported more than $95 million in 2025 losses to scams that began after ordering something seen in a social-media ad. That measure is distinct from the FTC’s broader $2.1 billion figure; the two should not be added together or treated as measurements of TikTok activity. Both depend on reports, and the FTC cautions that many scams go unreported. Read the FTC’s guidance on social-media ads.
How to check a seller before buying from a social-media ad
- Leave the ad to verify the seller. Search the company’s name along with “scam” or “complaint,” and look for information from sources independent of the ad. The FTC warns that social-media platforms do not always thoroughly vet ads or the advertisers behind them.
- Be cautious about the offer and the seller’s claims. Do not assume an ad is trustworthy just because it appears on a familiar platform or uses the name of a familiar brand.
- Report a suspicious ad. The FTC accepts fraud reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Reporting helps authorities collect information, though it does not guarantee that money will be recovered.
What to do if you paid and the order never arrived
- Contact the payment provider promptly. Reach out to the company, bank, payment service, or card issuer you used and explain that the purchase may be a scam. Ask whether the payment can be reversed or refunded.
- If you paid by credit card, contact the card issuer. The FTC advises contacting the issuer promptly and asking for a refund when a scammer took payment for an item that was never delivered.
- Report the incident to the FTC. File a report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and keep relevant order, payment, and seller records. Recovery options depend on the payment method and circumstances; a refund is not guaranteed.
TikTok’s response, as reproduced in the Forbes report, was: “TikTok strictly prohibits fraudulent and deceptive advertising, and we have continuously strengthened our policies and enforcement systems to address evolving risks and safeguard our community and partners.”
Quick Recap
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- Visa Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Conditions: a.co/5bw3qXJ
- When you access your Visa Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
- This Visa Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Visa Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
- Funds do not expire but your Visa Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call the Toll Free number found on your Visa Virtual eGift Card for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
- This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
Rank #3
- Visa Virtual eGift Cards are designed for online use only. Gift Cards are subject to Terms and Conditions: a.co/5bw3qXJ
- When you access your Visa Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
- This Visa Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Visa Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
- Funds do not expire but your Visa Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call the Toll Free number found on your Visa Virtual eGift Card for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
- This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
