By Tunji Faleye
The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has alerted the public to a series of deceptive advertisements circulating on Facebook and Instagram, platforms owned by Meta Inc., featuring prominent Nigerian personalities. The council described these adverts as fake, unethical, and designed to mislead the public.
In a statement signed by ARCON’s Director-General, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, the council disclosed that the fraudulent adverts falsely feature the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, renowned Channels Television journalist, Seun Okinbaloye, and the Nigeria Customs Service.
According to ARCON, one of the fake advertisements uses Pastor Adeboye’s image and voice to promote a supposed cure for prostate cancer for certain Dr. Zayo Mokoena. Similarly, Seun Okinbaloye’s has been used in another deceptive advertisement promoting treatment for erectile dysfunction for Prof. Kingsley Ekwueme. Another fraudulent advert claims that the Nigeria Customs Service is auctioning seized cars and bags of rice, encouraging unsuspecting Nigerians to participate.
“Preliminary investigations reveal that the advertisements featuring Pastor Adeboye and Seun Okinbaloye were generated using artificial intelligence (AI), with the clear intention to deceive viewers. The Customs Service advertisement is purely a scam aimed at defrauding members of the public.” ARCON stated.
ARCON emphasized that it has been actively monitoring these fraudulent campaigns and is prepared to pursue all necessary actions, including legal measures, against the responsible advertisers, agencies, and even the platform owners where the contents are hosted.
The regulatory body further disclosed that a dedicated monitoring and enforcement taskforce has been empowered to intensify surveillance across digital platforms, swiftly identifying and taking down non-compliant advertisements.
ARCON urged Nigerians to support its efforts by reporting questionable adverts, especially those making false or unrealistic claims. It also called on advertisers and agencies to uphold ethical standards, legal compliance, and truthful messaging in advertising, with the ultimate goal of safeguarding consumers and maintaining integrity within the advertising industry.
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