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

Beauty Pie Ltd t/a Beauty Pie Ltd
- Upheld
- Poster
- 10 June 2026
A poster for an LED face mask made misleading claims that it was clinically proven to reduce wrinkles in 4 weeks.
Fortore Ltd
- Upheld
- Social media (paid ad)
- 10 June 2026
A paid-for Facebook ad for an investment competition website failed to make clear that gold and precious metal investment was unregulated and that the value of investments was variable.
Montford Group Ltd t/a Brittania Bullion
- Upheld
- Social media (paid ad)
- 10 June 2026
A paid-for LinkedIn ad for a gold investment company failed to make clear that physical gold investment was unregulated and that the value of investments was variable.
RE/MAX Property Specialists t/a Billie Dunlop
- Upheld
- Social media (own site)
- 10 June 2026
A leaflet and a Facebook post for an estate agency service made misleading and unverifiable comparisons with identifiable competitors.

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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