Turkey's Trade Ministry tightens crackdown on misleading discount ads

The Turkish Trade Ministry has launched a nationwide crackdown on deceptive discount advertising. Inspections have been intensified across all provinces after a rise in consumer complaints about promotions that inflate discount rates, use stacked percentages (e.g., “50 % + 20 % + 10 %”), conceal exclusions in tiny footnotes, omit start‑end dates, and present inflated reference prices in loyalty‑card offers.

Violations are being pursued under the Consumer Protection Law No 6502 and the Commercial Advertising and Unfair Commercial Practices Regulation. Penalties range from a base fine of 99,339 TL to as much as 39.9 million TL, depending on the medium and the severity of the breach. The ministry follows a “warning first, then sanction” approach and has announced that businesses found to mislead consumers will face heavy administrative fines.

The agency has opened investigations in 81 provinces, checking product labels and pricing histories to ensure compliance. It urges shoppers to verify advertised discounts and warns retailers that further non‑compliance will attract stricter penalties.