APCON arrests advertiser over fraudulent claims

13.03.2008

THE Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) has arrested the operators of a weight-loss programme, DIY Weight-loss Centre, for an alleged fraudulent misrepresentation contained in an advertisement published in a magazine on February 27, 2008.

According to a press release signed by APCON’s Principal Corporate Affairs Officer, Mr. Joe Eugene Onuorah, in the advertisement, DIY-loss Centre allegedly published photographs of a lady purported to be one Mrs. Obiageli Obikelu who had a weight problem which the centre solved for her.

APCON said it was discovered, however, that the photographs were those of Star Jones Reynolds, a United States-basedcelebrity, who lost weight following a gastric bypass operation in 2003, which was downloaded from the internet and used in the said advertisement with “the purpose of deceiving unsuspecting clients into patronising the centre.”

“A complaint of this alleged fraudulent misrepresentation was made to APCON by a concerned Nigerian who felt appalled and disgusted by this brazen and rather fraudulent act, calculated at deceiving the public and making hapless Nigerians part with their hard-earned money.

“APCON, upon investigation of the complaint and determining that the sponsor of the said alleged deceitful advertisement, Precious Sandra, is not registered to practise advertising in Nigeria as required by law, swung into action by inviting the police to arrest her,” the statement said.