Instagram sponsored ads 'infiltrated by counterfeiters'

Instagram has become the latest social media platform to be compromised by ads for counterfeit goods, according to a fashion blog.

The picture-sharing site contains ads pointing customers to websites selling fake goods, including counterfeit Adidas shoes, according to thefashionlaw.com. Kanye West's line of Yeezy Boost 350s - currently in demand and short supply - are being sold for $99, a fraction of their usual price.
 
Instagram parent Facebook has also come in for criticism of counterfeits infiltrating its sponsored ad listings, with a 2014 report suggesting that almost a quarter of its ad listings were fraudulent. Meanwhile, Twitter and search engines such as Google have also been in the frame over the last few years as counterfeiters have shifted away from traditional promotional routes such as spam email.

With a user base estimated at around 300m users, Instagram has been trying to monetise its platform by adding ads and news content. The company has already mounted a major assault on fake and spam accounts but it now looks like it will have to pay more attention to counterfeit-peddling ads.