2,000 false adverts deceive buyers

Fake promises about the wonders of makeup products sold by cosmetic giant Sephora and lies about the origin of food served to guests at popular Hong Kong eatery Ah Yat Seafood were among the 2,000-plus false advertisements in the city last year that were altogether punished some 40 million yuan ($6.32 million), local authorities said Thursday.

The number of cases last year increased by some 250 from the previous year, but the companies caught remained as wide-ranging in terms of industry as ever, according to the city's industry and commerce authority. A majority of the companies were fined for launching advertisements that exaggerated about the quality or benefits of their products.

Among them, Sephora (Shanghai) Cosmetic Company was fined for misleading customers through an online advert that guaranteed its products could heal wounds in 48 hours, and repair damage to skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles in two weeks.

Ah Yat Seafood Restaurant Shanghai was also penalized after advertising that it served fresh lobsters to customers, who instead received frozen ones. It also boasted that its noodles were made in Japan, but they were from Suzhou.

Most companies that landed in hot water over the advertising problems were punished after local authorities investigated the cases, which were mainly reported by consumers, said Zhang Yusong, a press officer for the local authority.

"We regularly collect complaints from local residents and carry out routine inspections in the city," he told the Global Times Thursday. "It helps keep a lid on advertising that takes advantage of consumers."

Zhang declined to discuss the increase in false advertising seen in the city in recent years, with the number of cases doubling over the past decade, but an advertising professor at Fudan University attributed the trend to widespread use of the Internet and the growing popularity of new media tools.

"It's easier and faster for companies to advertise these days compared to before, when traditional media, like print or television, were relied upon for advertising," Cheng Shian told the Global Times Thursday.

The nature of the online world today allows companies to put the word out quickly, without waiting for approval from media outlets or censors, which also makes it challenging for authorities to catch false advertisements, she said.

Chen advised consumers to be smarter when viewing ads, saying that their ability to distinguish false advertising claims from genuine ones will offer them the best protection against dishonest companies.