UKSAFC.org joins C.A.N

The UK Stop Ad Fraud Coalition (UKSAFC) group - a collection of advertising professionals, policymakers, technology providers and agencies committed to tackling all forms of advertising-funded crime and fraud in the United Kingdom - has been accepted as a member of the Conscious Advertising Network (C.A.N).

The UKSAFC, which includes representatives from Dentsu, FACT, Script and Annalect, was set up in 2022 and works to highlight the scale and threat of advertising fraud, to coordinate a multi-stakeholder approach to addressing the issue in the UK and provide a template the rest of the world can follow.

At a global level, the cost of advertising fraud is twice that of payment card fraud, and is proven to funnel huge amounts of advertising money to criminal organisations involved in a broad range of illegal activities, added the organisation.

C.A.N is a UK-based international coalition of over 180 advertisers, agencies, tech providers and civil society groups, focused on breaking the economic link between advertising and harmful content.

Members include Haleon, Virgin Media O2, British Gas and Innocent Drinks; network media agencies Group M, Havas Media, and Omnicom Media Group; plus leading civil society groups, including the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Global Disinformation Index, and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.

C.A.N says it combines its advertising and human rights expertise to help implement industry, platform, and policy interventions, and embed human rights within relevant commercial and political decision-making, globally. It works directly with advertising platforms, media owners and publishers to pioneer positive change and set new human rights precedents within the industry.

In its membership application, the UKSAFC reinforced its commitment to tackling ad fraud of all kinds, and preventing legitimate advertising dollars finding their way to fund extremist groups and criminal gangs.

Ian Moss, spokesperson for UKSAFC.org commented: “C.A.N does fantastic work galvanising the industry to tackle advertising fraud, and we are really pleased we can join their network to further our joint aims, and to support their wider work on leading within the advertising industry to bring a safe sustainable advertising ecosystem.”

One UKSAFC member Chris Morgan, founder, Script said: “We and the other members of UKSAFC are fully behind becoming a supporter member of C.A.N. and back their commitment to fostering responsible media buying. C.A.N.'s manifestos serve as an invaluable guide for advertisers and media buyers, emphasising the crucial roles of responsibility and accountability which match our own focus on Operational Intelligence.”

Jake Dubbins, co-chair of Conscious Advertising Network, said: "UKSAFC is an extraordinary coalition dedicated to combating advertising-funded crime. Through continuous research and advocacy, they champion accountability, transparency, and collective action as the cornerstone of ad fraud detection and positive progress. Their efforts closely resonates with CAN's Ad Fraud manifesto, and we can't wait to develop our collaborative relationship further to shape a more ethical advertising landscape."

Eline Yara Jeanné, investigations manager at Conscious Advertising Network, commented: “We have been lucky enough to already do some work with UKSAFC on a member briefing on the topic of Advertising Funded Crime. Their insight allowed us to present important facts and actionable advice to CAN members and highlight an important and often under-reported issue. We look forward to continuing to work and advocate for change with UKSAFC, especially alongside our Ad Fraud manifesto.”