The China Advertising Association has officially denounced a list of direct sale promotions on television ads that it says has defrauded audiences by providing them with unreal, unscientific and misleading information, Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday.

The advertising industry watchdog said in its open criticism on Tuesday that a total of 58 products advertised in direct sale promotions were illegal and that 17 of them were found to have severely breached the law, including a body-shaping product called "sleep slimming", the American Vertebra King Energy Belt, and a watch that claims to alleviate hypertension.

The television advertisement for the "sleep slimming" product, for instance, claims to help people lose weight while they sleep. Taiwan TV hostess Dee Hsu, also known as Xiao S., poses in the ad. as its image ambassador, saying the "slim patch" helped her regain her slender figure after she had two children. The advertisement claims that placing a patch on your navel every night before you go to sleep will help you achieve excellent weight loss results. The ad for the American Vertebra King Energy Belt claims the device can ease constant pain in lumbar region.

The findings came after the State Administration for Industry and Commerce along with the China Advertising Association jointly monitored advertisements shown on satellite TVs in 28 provinces and cities.

Yang Hongfeng, an official with the China Advertising Association, said the exposure of the blacklisted companies who have violated relevant laws was intended as both a warning for the industry and a reminder for viewers to be cautious about buying such cheating products, especially those that do not carry the company's address or a way to contact the company.

Source: CRI online