Fined for misleading internet fee

THE competition watchdog has fined a company €50,000 for misleading consumers into subscribing to its services for a fee when they thought they were taking part in an internet competition.

The Competition Commission (CPC) ruled that Netsmart (Cyprus) Limited had violated the unfair trade practices law by giving consumers the impression they were taking part in a competition when “in reality its commercial pursuit was to register consumers to its subscription service with a €9.85 weekly charge,” an official announcement said.

The ad on the internet asked consumers to participate in a competition for an Adidas coupon worth €450.

They were required to answer one question correctly and were given three options, which were all correct.

Consumers were then asked to submit their mobile phone number and a code sent to them after the submission.

By doing so, consumers subscribed to a mobile phone service offered by Netsmart (Cyprus) for a weekly charge.

“The main violation identified is misleading consumers regarding the company’s commercial pursuit,” the announcement said.

The trade ministry urged consumers to be extra careful and avoid taking part in electronic competitions or respond to messages of unknown origin that carry significant charges unless they are certain of the conditions.

For any questions and information, call 22409282, 22409358, 22409357 or 22867108.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.