Face mask ads claiming to protect against coronavirus are popping up all over Google and Facebook, and the platforms are scrambling to stamp them out

• Online ads are appearing from brands with names like Safe Mask, Viral Tech Mask, and Flu Mask Store that have popped up overnight and claim to protect against coronavirus.
• Business Insider made numerous attempts to contact six companies advertising face masks but got no response. One company listed a phone number for a customer service firm that claimed to not work with the vendor.
• Google, Facebook, and digital firms like Revcontent are trying to curb face such mask ads, in the latest example of how digital publishers and adtech firms struggle to police questionable advertisers.
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As concerns grow about the spread of the novel coronavirus, Google, Facebook, and other digital ad sellers are scrambling to crack down on ads for products that claim to protect people from the scare even as experts say masks won't do much to protect you.

Ads for face masks that claim to protect people from the virus have popped up on Google, Facebook and publisher sites over the past couple of weeks. Behind the ads are sellers that have seemingly popped up overnight and have opaque contact information and customer service channels.

Business Insider found ads from five different companies running mobile and search ads with Google that promote face masks with urgent pitches like "buy now." The advertisers - Best Dang Stuff, Ziqi Goods, Sea-North, Flu Mask Store, and Viral Tech Mask - link to websites that sell face mask products with limited information about the companies. A sixth company, called Safe Mask, ran an ad campaign through Revcontent, which distributes sponsored content ads on publishers' sites, that appeared on USAToday.com.

Business Insider made numerous attempts to reach each company through emails and phone calls but got no response.

In the case of Safe Mask, it listed a company called Strong Current Enterprise for customer service inquiries. A representative for Strong Current Enterprise told Business Insider that the company does not work with Safe Mask. Eighty-two complaints about Strong Current Enterprise are filed with the Better Business Bureau, and the company did not reply to a follow-up email from Business Insider seeking more information.

Another company, Flu Mask Store, created its website earlier this year and uses Shopify to run its e-commerce features. A Shopify spokesperson did not respond to a question about the firm's policies for businesses that sell coronavirus-related items.

New York City is cracking down on businesses that price gouge face masks, fining businesses up to $500. EBay and Amazon are also monitoring the prices and marketing for face masks.

Marketers continue to struggle with rogue advertisers

Face mask advertising is the latest example of the digital ad industry's ongoing struggles to police and stamp out fake and questionable material.

On Monday, Google said it was revising its policy about coronavirus to include face mask ads after Business Insider flagged several ads to the company that featured products like medical face masks.

"We're committed to protecting users and surfacing helpful, authoritative information as the coronavirus situation continues to evolve," said a Google spokesperson.

Facebook has also said it would ban ads that promise to cure or prevent the virus, or attempt to "create a sense of urgency" about it.

Revcontent pulled the Safe Mask ad after an inquiry from Business Insider. Revcontent also said that it was manually removing content about the coronavirus from its network of content, citing a policy against "unsubstantiated health claims and ads attempting to incite panic or disseminate harmful, misleading content about the virus."

While publishers have gotten better at policing ads that pass through digital middlemen, ads from questionable advertisers as well as fraud and bots persist. Adtech firm Integral Ad Science recently identified a bot scheme called the 404bot that digs into unaudited ads.txt files to boost clicks and create fake URLs, costing publishers $15 million in lost ad revenue.

In the case of face mask ads, Augustine Fou, an independent ad fraud researcher and consultant, said the ads likely pass through automatic ad systems because the ads are often vetted for the text they contain but not the image.

"Despite some new technologies that try to scan the code of every single ad, some still get through," he said.