A campaign has been launched to try and highlight the fake waste removal companies on Facebook.

Fly-tipping Action Wales has introduced 'Stop Facebook Fly-tippers Week', aiming to alert the public about scammers posing as authentic waste removers.

The issue has grown particularly potent in Carmarthenshire, which reported 3,769 fly-tips in 2023, costing the local council £90,913 to tidy up.

The scam operates by taking payments from homeowners and illegally discarding their waste, causing significant damage to local landscapes.

However, the victims may face a fine if found culpable.

According to retail banking chain TSB, more than a third of advertisements on Facebook's marketplace could potentially be fraudulent, leading to UK customers losing approximately £160,000 each day to such scams.

Neil Harrison, project manager at Fly-tipping Action Wales, said: "Nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of businesses offering to handle waste appear to be unregistered, and we have seen a concerning increase in the number of people posing as waste removers online only for householders to later find that they are not licensed to do so by Natural Resources Wales.

"This puts them at risk of being fined £300, if their waste was later fly-tipped."

As part of the campaign, Fly-tipping Action Wales has listed out essential tips to help residents differentiate genuine waste carriers from scammers.

The guidelines include, among other things, verifying the contractor's license, beware of suspiciously low prices, taking note of vehicle information and avoiding cash payments.