ARCON Cracks Down on Fake Advertisements on Facebook, Instagram
Oru Leonard
The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), has exposed a series of fake and unethical advertisements on Facebook and Instagram, owned by Meta Inc. The ads include [none provided beyond the prompt].
A letter signed by the ARCON Director General, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo, emphasizes that fake ads using images and voices of prominent individuals, including Pastor Enoch Adeboye and Mr. Seun Okinbaloye, to promote dubious products and services.
Again, the Nigerian Custom Services’ advertisement for an auction of impounded cars and bags of rice was identified as a scam intended to defraud unsuspecting Nigerians.
The regulatory body has threatened to take legal action against platform owners, advertisers, and agencies engaging in unethical advertising practices.
-A special monitoring and enforcement task force has been set up to track and flag non-compliant ads across all platforms.
ARCON urges the public to report any deceptive, unethical, or illegal ads to support their initiative.
The council calls on stakeholders and the advertising community to adhere to principles of truthful, legal, decent, and responsible advertising.
Contact Information
Complaint Desk: 08050899900
Identifying Fake Ads
To avoid falling victim to fake ads, look out for
– Unrealistic Offers: Ads promising incredible rewards or discounts that seem too good to be true.
– Poor Grammar: Ads with grammatical errors or suspicious language.
– Suspicious URLs: Ads directing you to unfamiliar or unrelated websites.
– *Lack of Contact Information*: Ads without credible contact details or support.
Reporting Fake Ads
If you encounter a fake ad, report it to Facebook immediately by:
– Clicking the three dots in the top right corner of the ad
– Selecting “Report Ad”
– Choosing the appropriate reason for your report³
