Google profiting from ‘predatory’ loan adverts promising instant cash

One, listed in Google search results above links to the government website and debt charities, promised "cash in ten minutes guaranteed" for people with "very bad credit".

Charities and anti-debt campaigners said such loans could trap people struggling financially, who might apply on impulse and become "trapped in a spiral".

Many of the promotions appeared to be targeted deliberately at people in financial trouble, with messages like "bad credit welcome". They suggested there would be little scrutiny with messages such as "no credit check" and "no call".

In some cases, ads appeared to be linked to scam websites, taking users to websites where they entered their personal details, including their bank information, phone number, date of birth and address.

The ASA has previously ruled against payday lenders and said it was assessing the evidence of potential breaches.

It added that while the "buck ultimately stops with the advertiser", media platforms such as Google also "bear some responsibility for ensuring content complies with the rules". "Platforms should and do take measures to ensure misleading and irresponsible ads are not published," a spokesperson said.