Misleading

A big part of our role is ensuring that ads don’t mislead. In fact, just over 70% of our work involves responding to and tackling concerns about misleading ads.

We should all be able to trust the ads we see and hear. And, in the majority of cases, we can. UK advertisers, by and large, stick to the rules. We only step in on occasions where an advertiser over-exaggerates, omits key information, or makes ambiguous or unclear claims in a way that’s likely to confuse or mislead us into making a purchase we wouldn’t otherwise have made.

The kind of complaints we receive about misleading ads often concern pricing and issues such as hidden costs like booking fees and credit card charges. We also receive complaints about exaggerated savings claims, significant terms and conditions not being made clear, promotions that aren’t run fairly, and health claims that discourage potentially vulnerable people from seeking professional medical advice or treatment.

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Latest rulings

Care Pharma Bradford Ltd t/a The Care Pharmacy
- Upheld
- Search (paid)
- 07 October 2026
A paid-for Google search ad for an online pharmacy promoted prescription-only medicines to the public, against the law and our rules.
MedExpress Enterprises Ltd t/a MedExpress
- Upheld
- Social media (paid ad)
- 07 October 2026
A paid-for Facebook ad for MedExpress promoted prescription-only medicines to the public, against the law and our rules.
Menwell Ltd t/a Do Health
- Upheld
- Social media (own site)
- 07 October 2026
Two ads for a health app incorporating a blood testing programme misleadingly implied that their blood tests could prevent and diagnose medical conditions or that their service could provide more tailored specific advice than pre-existing advice, without the evidence to support these claims.
Esaverwatt.com t/a StopWatt
- Upheld
- Website (commercial classified)
- 30 September 2026
A product listing on Amazon for a smart home energy monitoring brand misleadingly exaggerated the effectiveness of the product by making claims that it could save electricity, reduce electricity waste and lower energy bills.

View all rulings

Misleading

A big part of our role is ensuring that ads don’t mislead. In fact, just over 70% of our work involves responding to and tackling concerns about misleading ads.

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