Money and investing claims: TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, X and more
The short answer
Guaranteed returns are the red line: Instagram, Facebook and Threads remove offers of guaranteed or risk-free returns, and TikTok and YouTube remove get-rich-quick schemes.
- TikTok also removes promotion of high-risk financial products, such as trading signals that promise returns or unlicensed lending.
- X removes money-flipping offers like 'send $100, get $1,000', and bans sponsored finance and crypto posts in the EU, UK and Australia.
- YouTube limits how often teens see unrealistic financial advice, and Instagram doesn't recommend posts promoting payday loans.
- In the US, if you're paid to promote a stock, or a crypto project that counts as a security, you have to say you were paid and how much; in the UK, promoting regulated investments without an FCA-authorised firm's approval may be a criminal offence.
- TikTok
- YouTube
- X
- Threads
- Snapchat
At a glance
| Platform | What can happen | Its strictest rule |
|---|---|---|
| TikTok | Taken down | Promoting high-risk or predatory financial products |
| YouTube | Taken down, Shown to fewer people | Scam, get-rich-quick or fake support number |
| Taken down, Shown to fewer people | Scam or get-rich-quick offer | |
| Taken down | Scam or get-rich-quick offer | |
| X | Taken down | Scam tactics: money flipping, fake discounts, phishing |
| Threads | Taken down | Scam or get-rich-quick offer |
| Snapchat | Taken down | Scams, counterfeits or get-rich-quick offers |
| Taken down | Counterfeits, get-rich-quick or hacking offers | |
| Taken down | Scams, pyramid schemes or phishing |
The rules, side by side
Each row is a platform's own rule: what it means, what the platform says, how to fix it, and where to read it in full.
| Platform | The rule, in plain words | In their words | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| TikTok | Promoting high-risk or predatory financial productsRemovalTrading, marketing or giving access to high-risk financial services: products that are predatory, carry extreme risk or lack transparency (e.g. guaranteed-return trading signals, unlicensed lending).Fix: Remove return promises and sign-up links; keep it educational and balanced about risk. | “High-Risk Financial Services: Products or activities involving the management of money and other financial assets that are predatory, contain extreme risks, or lack transparency.” | |
| TikTok | Scams, get-rich-quick schemes or MLM recruitingRemovalFake investment offers or get-rich-quick schemes, phishing or identity theft, job or transaction scams, teaching fraud, money muling, multi-level marketing, trading fake currency, forged documents or stolen data, or impersonating a celebrity to sell something.Fix: Remove income guarantees, recruitment calls and money-transfer offers. | “Financial scams, such as fake investment offers or “get-rich-quick” schemes” | |
| YouTube | Scam, get-rich-quick or fake support numberRemovalGet-rich-quick or investment schemes, fake job offers, fake 'customer support' contact details, or pretending to be a company or government to collect passwords, bank details or IDs (e.g. a 'free payout' link).Fix: Remove guaranteed-return claims, payout or giveaway links and support numbers you don't own; add risk disclosure to money content. | “Promoting "get rich quick" investment schemes, fake job offers, or sharing fake "customer support" contact information” | |
| YouTube | Body-comparison or social-aggression topics capped for teensReduced reachContent comparing bodies or idealizing certain body types or fitness levels, unrealistic financial advice, or social aggression (non-contact fights, intimidation).Fix: Avoid ranking bodies or promising easy money; frame fitness and money topics around health and realistic expectations. | “This includes topics ranging from body comparison to unrealistic financial advice or social aggression.” | |
| InstagramFacebookThreads | Scam or get-rich-quick offerRemovalGuaranteed or risk-free investment returns, quick returns (e.g. under 24 hours), recruitment-based returns, 'cash flip'/'money flip', past returns implying future results, unrealistic money for minimal effort, advance-fee loans, guaranteed jobs or jobs needing a fee, debt-erasure promises, fake government grants, gambling with guaranteed wins, or using a celebrity's or brand's identity to bait...Fix: Remove guarantees and income claims, add risk disclaimers, and never use a public figure's likeness or a brand's identity without authorization. | “Offers of investment opportunities where returns on investment are guaranteed or risk-free.” | |
| Miracle-cure or payday-loan content (not recommended)Not recommendedExaggerated health claims or products sold on them ('miracle cures'), or promotion of misleading business models such as payday loans.Fix: Remove exaggerated claims, add qualifiers, and avoid promoting payday or instant loans. | “Content that promotes misleading or deceptive business models, such as payday loans.” | ||
| X | Scam tactics: money flipping, fake discounts, phishingRemovalContent that tries to get money, property or private information by deception: money-flipping ('send $100, get $1,000'), fake discounts, phishing for logins or card details, or trust-building romance or investment schemes.Fix: Remove guaranteed-return claims, fake discount codes and requests for credentials or payment. | “Scams: You may not use X to engage in scam tactics to obtain money, property, or private information.” | |
| X | Sponsored finance, crypto or gambling (EU, UK, Australia)RemovalA paid partnership in the EU, UK or Australia promoting financial products or opportunities (loans, investment services, crypto, buy-now-pay-later) or gambling (lotteries, social casinos, sports betting).Fix: Do not run these sponsorships organically in those markets; use X Ads if the category is allowed there. | “Financial products, services, or opportunities (including loans, investment services, crypto, buy now pay later services and other financial-related content)” | |
| Snapchat | Scams, counterfeits or get-rich-quick offersRemovalPromoting counterfeit goods, fraudulent services or get-rich-quick schemes, or imitating Snapchat or Snap Inc.Fix: Remove the offer; never imitate Snapchat's branding or interface. | “We prohibit fraud and other deceptive practices, including undisclosed paid or sponsored content, the promotion of fraudulent (counterfeit) goods or services or get-rich-quick schemes, or imitating Snapchat or Snap Inc.” | |
| Counterfeits, get-rich-quick or hacking offersRemovalCounterfeit products, documents or money; stolen data or accounts for sale; hacking or security bypass; test-cheating services; get-rich-quick schemes.Fix: Remove the offer. | “Exploitative financial practices including get-rich-quick schemes.” | ||
| Scams, pyramid schemes or phishingRemovalPyramid or Ponzi schemes, cash flips, high-return investment scams, money muling, too-good-to-be-true job offers, phishing links or requests for payment details.Fix: Remove the offer and any links. | “We remove phishing links, malware, known or suspected scam content, and fraudulent content and permanently restrict the accounts of known fraudsters or scammers.” |
Laws that apply on every platform
These come from laws and advertising regulators, not from a platform, so they follow you to every app in the places they cover.
| Where | The rule, in plain words | In their words | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | Paid stock or crypto promo without the amount paid (US)Needs a disclosure labelThe creator is paid (money, tokens, shares) by an issuer or dealer to talk about a stock, token, NFT project, presale or other investment that may be a security, and does not fully disclose that they are paid and how much.Fix: If you were paid by the project, say so in the video and state the amount and form of payment. If you cannot disclose the amount, do not make the video. | “describes such security for a consideration received or to be received, directly or indirectly, from an issuer, underwriter, or dealer, without fully disclosing the receipt, whether past or prospective, of such consideration and the...” | |
| UK finfluencers | Promoting investments without FCA approval (UK finfluencers)A creator, as part of a business (paid, affiliate, referral bonus, own product), invites or encourages viewers to invest or take up a regulated financial product, for example sign up to a trading or crypto platform with a code, buy a specific investment, join a paid trading signals group, or take out credit, and the promotion was not made or approved by an FCA-authorised firm.Fix: Remove the referral links, codes and calls to invest, or only post a promotion that the FCA-authorised firm has approved in writing (with its required risk warnings) and keep that approval. | “Unauthorised persons, such as influencers, who promote financial products or services that are subject to regulation without the approval of an FCA authorised person may be committing a criminal offence.” |
Free caption check
Is my caption at risk?
Paste the caption and hashtags you plan to post. We check the words against each platform's published rules in a second. Nothing you type is saved.