Martin Lewis to visit Facebook for talks over scam ads

Martin Lewis is due to visit Facebook's offices to ask it to agree to more action to prevent fake adverts after the consumer champion recently launched a legal battle with the website.

The MoneySavingExpert.com founder previously said he had decided to sue Facebook for defamation in a personal capacity in a ground-breaking lawsuit, following a raft of scam ads featuring pictures of the consumer champion.

He will visit Facebook's London offices on Wednesday for a "without prejudice" meeting.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Mr Lewis said: "I will be asking Facebook to agree to a binding deal that locks it in to fundamentally changing the way it polices adverts.

"It has to stop putting the onus on others to report scams - and needs to take responsibility itself."

He continued: "Facebook can't now just think it can make me a special case, get rid of ads with me in, and it'll all go away.

"It must set up a proactive system to prevent fake ads with any public figures in them - that is the only way to prevent vulnerable people having their lives ruined by losing money due to these scams, and the reputational damage it causes those of us in the adverts.

"If it refuses to do this to my satisfaction, I will continue to court."

Mr Lewis said: "If I win, I pledge any damages to go to anti-scam charities.

"And to settle, I'll also want to hear how it will try and make good the huge damage to countless vulnerable people."

Mr Lewis previously said he had decided to issue High Court proceedings in an individual capacity for a campaigning defamation lawsuit against Facebook.

He has said the legal action was the result of months of frustration with scammers piggybacking on his reputation and preying on Facebook users with scams.

He said people have handed over thousands of pounds in good faith, only to find the adverts have nothing to do with him.

"There are customers who have lost a lot of money. Some of them won't even talk to me because they've seen my face on the advert and think it's me who has scammed them - it's an absolute disgrace."

Mr Lewis has said he does not do adverts.