Advertising Board puts a stop to deceptive ads: 94 million TL fine

The Advertising Board examined advertisements that deceive or mislead consumers, exploit their lack of experience and knowledge, as well as unfair commercial practices, during its 344th meeting held on April 16, 2024. 

Of the 161 files discussed at the meeting, 139 were found to be in violation of regulations, and it was decided to impose a suspension penalty along with a total of 28 million 884 thousand 143 Turkish Lira in administrative fines regarding the advertisements and commercial practices in question. 

SUSPENSION DECISION FOR 554 FILES

According to the statement made by the Ministry of Trade, the Advertising Board reviewed and evaluated a total of 639 files in the first 3.5 months of the year. In addition to suspension penalties, it was decided to impose a total of 94 million 139 thousand 110 Turkish Lira in administrative fines regarding 554 files determined to contain deceptive advertisements or unfair commercial practices. 

DISCOUNTS THAT DECEIVE CONSUMERS

The statement pointed out that discount sales campaigns, where it is announced that discounts will be applied at various rates on many products, are a widely preferred marketing method in our country as they are all over the world. It was emphasized that with the widespread use of online shopping channels that allow access to various products under favorable conditions, discount campaigns have become more frequent and diversified, and consequently, various consumer grievances have also been observed to increase. The statement added, "In this context, investigations continued into discount sales advertisements and practices that are closely monitored, which deceive or mislead consumers and create the perception that more discounts are being made than in reality. With the files discussed and decided upon in the April board agenda, the Advertising Board decided to impose a suspension penalty and a total of 11 million 457 thousand 805 Turkish Lira in administrative fines regarding 51 discount sales files in the first four months of the year."