Bargain-hunters browsing online classifieds in Turkey have grown used to a familiar trick: listings showing a price of 1 TL or 111 TL, only for callers to be told the real — and far higher — price over the phone.

One seller of car spare parts took the tactic to an extreme. Despite labeling the product at just 111 TL, the seller quoted buyers amounts ranging from 5,000 TL to 6,000 TL depending on the day.

The Advertising Board steps in

The gap between the advertised price and the amount actually demanded caught the attention of the Advertising Board (Reklam Kurulu), which operates under Turkey's Ministry of Trade. As part of its investigation, the Board requested information and documentation from the seller regarding the listings — but none was provided.

With the evidence submitted falling short, the Board ruled that the ads were misleading and deceptive to consumers. The violations stemming from the publications resulted in an administrative fine of 1,083,706 TL for the seller.

The Board also ordered the misleading advertisements to be halted. In the end, the seller, who had used fake price displays to attract customers, was hit both financially and with a publication ban.