EU Quizzes Apple, Booking, Google and Microsoft Over Financial Scam Risks

By Edith Hancock

The European Union's technology watchdog is quizzing Apple, Booking, Microsoft and Alphabet's Google over how well they comply with EU rules designed to better protect users from scams online.

The European Commission--the EU's executive arm--said Tuesday that officials sent requests for information to the four tech giants regarding how they manage the risk of users being exposed to financial scams through their websites and app stores.

"Scammers are extensively using online platforms and search engines to find their victims--both individuals and organisations--and communicate with them," commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said. He said scammers could post links to fraudulent websites on search engines and e-commerce platforms, or create fake banking and investment apps and distribute them through companies' app stores.

The Digital Services Act--a relatively new piece of EU legislation that governs online content--obliges large tech companies to better protect consumers by assessing the risks to them on their own platforms, he said.

Officials are asking the four tech groups to give them detailed information on how they assess the presence of fraudulent content and what measures they are taking to reduce risks to consumers, according to the commission's website. They have also asked Apple, Google and Booking how they verify the identity of the businesses using their services. Requests on Google's Search and Microsoft's Bing search engines cover links and ads that could lead users to fraudulent websites, the watchdog said.

A spokesperson for Microsoft said the company is committed to creating safe experiences online and will continue to engage with the commission on the subject.

Google said it will examine the request. A spokesperson for the company declined to comment on the exchange with the EU's tech enforcer on scams.

Neither Apple nor Booking immediately responded to a request for comment.

Write to Edith Hancock at edith.hancock@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 23, 2025 11:48 ET (15:48 GMT)