Discontinued dubious advertising of debt forgiveness in Biysk (FAS)
FAS in Altai Krai Stops Deceptive Advertising for Debt Relief Services
The Altai Krai branch of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) has taken action against misleading advertisements for debt relief services. The allegedly deceptive ads, displayed on the "Greenfield" business center in Biysk, promoted a legal firm under the name "...DEBT RELIEF...", promising a host of legal services and claiming thousands of satisfied clients, while giving the false impression of being affiliated with government agencies.
The advertisement, which focused on the service of "debt relief", lacked clarity regarding the complex bankruptcy procedure, and guaranteed freedom from financial obligations without emphasizing that such decisions are made by courts, with lawyers only offering consultative services during the legal process of bankruptcy. Furthermore, the advertisement unlawfully utilized the image of the Russian Federation flag, potentially creating a false impression of the organization's link to state-run authorities.
In light of these violations, Altai Krai's FAS determined the advertisement to be inappropriate and classified it as a breach of advertising norms. During hearings concerning the case, the entrepreneur offering legal services partially complied with the mandate by changing the phrase "debt relief" to "bankruptcy procedure accompaniment" within the advertisement. As a result, the antimonopoly authority issued an order for the entrepreneur to cease using state symbols in advertising.
Further administrative sanctions are currently under consideration. As for a separate matter, there's no specific information regarding a case involving the distribution of "Traffic Light". For detailed updates on this, additional context or sources need to be consulted.
- The legal firm named in the disputed advertisement, despite altering their tagline to "bankruptcy procedure accompaniment," is still active in the business of providing services related to finance.
- The contentious advertisement, initially aggressive in its claims about debt relief and implication of state support, now only mentions bankruptcy procedure accompaniment but is yet to adhere to the complete guidelines imposed by the Altai Krai's FAS, including the ban on using state symbols in advertising.
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