TikTok Bans 54 Accounts Running Ads for Counterfeit Euros and Pounds

TikTok banned more than 54 accounts that ran advertisements for counterfeit euros and British pounds, after Forbes found the ads directing buyers to Telegram. Forbes reported the accounts on October 19, 2026, saying the ads appeared over three months and that new ones continued to surface after the company was contacted.

How the Counterfeit Cash Ads Worked

The ads showed stacks of euros in black envelopes and holographic foil, with taglines such as "Discover what everyone's talking about," according to Forbes. One account offered a menu of fraudulent bills in five, 20 and 50 euro increments and a discount code reading "10% off: TikTok10." Orders and payment took place in private Telegram groups, and a handful of ads offered American dollar bills.

TikTok said the accounts breached its rules for users and advertisers, and that its AI and human moderators removed 16 million advertiser accounts in the first quarter of 2026, with around 99.8% removed before users could report them. The company said the European Union's Digital Services Act requires it to remove violating ad content and the advertiser name from its ad library. Forbes reported that many of the ads did not appear in the library on the day they were served.

Detective Constable Daryl Fryatt of the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit at the City of London Police said the notes are hard to detect. "They are good. If you got one in your change in the shop you wouldn't know," he said.

Earlier TikTok Advertising Cases

Forbes reported in August 2026 that the app was running paid ads from 27 accounts pushing the sale of cocaine, opioids and benzos like Xanax, and TikTok said at the time it had banned all the accounts involved. In May 2025, the European Commission issued a preliminary ruling that ByteDance had breached the Digital Services Act because TikTok's ad library could not be searched comprehensively, and ByteDance agreed to provide full context on ads within 24 hours of them running.

Other Platforms' Advertising Failures

The National Trust paused all TikTok advertising after an automated feature produced AI-generated ads promoting membership, The Cool Down reported on October 17, 2026. Google allowed a fake Chrome app from developer Hizbartech on the Play Store that had over 100,000 downloads before it was removed, Android Authority reported on October 14, 2026. Hackers used Bing redirects in Google ads to deliver ClickFix attacks, BleepingComputer reported on October 9, 2026.

Next Steps for TikTok

Forbes reported that in the week after it contacted TikTok about the counterfeit cash ads, seven new accounts advertising fake money appeared in the feed. TikTok deleted four of those accounts when contacted by Forbes, and three remained active at the time of publication.