Ministry levies hefty fines for deceptive ads, price hikes

ANKARA

The Trade Ministry has announced that administrative fines totaling more than 11 million Turkish Liras ($393,000) were imposed for deceptive practices such as hidden price hikes and non-compliant advertising.

"In the Advertising Board meeting held on Oct. 10, examinations were conducted regarding fortune telling ads, baby water promotions and undisclosed price hikes through weight adjustments. Out of the 139 cases reviewed during the meeting, 125 were found to be in violation of regulations. Consequently, a total of 11,693,933 Turkish Liras in administrative fines were imposed, accompanied by access restrictions for 40 cases," said a written statement by the ministry.

Regarding 39 websites promoting “psychic, magic and fortune-telling services, which exploit consumers' beliefs and emotions through fear, pressure and superstitions,” an advertising suspension was enforced, and access to these websites was blocked, the statement noted.

The "baby water" fine pertained to certain businesses falsely advertising and selling various brands of spring or mineral waters as "baby water," claiming to support infant bone development, thereby “exploiting parental concerns.”

The ministry stressed that the contribution of these products to infant development had not been substantiated through proper scrutiny, thus rendering the use of such claims in advertising unacceptable.

Another aspect for which penalties were imposed during the Oct. 10 meeting was the covert increase in unit prices, despite reductions in measurements like weight, quantity and volume. The ministry pointed out that consumers often remained unaware of such manipulative practices, as they were conducted subtly, ultimately affecting their purchasing decisions.