RIYADH — The Ministry of Commerce has penalized several commercial enterprises and referred 20 advertisers on Snapchat to the Ministry of Interior for violating the anti-coronavirus preventive and precautionary measures. These brand promoters visited the commercial enterprises, advertised for them, and invited the public to visit these firms. The Ministry of Commerce had announced earlier on Thursday that it has referred seven advertisers — four women and three men — to the Ministry of Interior. Meanwhile, during the past hours, the Ministry of Commerce detected 13 other male and female advertisers and referred their violations to the Ministry of Interior, and penalized the violating commercial firms. In a related development, Okaz newspaper has detected several fraudulent practices by advertisers on social media platforms, as their practices contravene the Ministry of Commerce mandatory precautionary measures, necessitating prevention of crowding in malls, markets, and other commercial places. In essence, the directives call for preventing crowding and jostling of shoppers within or without the commercial facilities. Among the fraudulent practices are to advertise by giving false impressions to their followers that their visit to the commercial enterprise is without an invitation, either with the intention of purchasing or to see what is on display in the firm by downloading the contents of the menu for the available foods and dishes, displaying them, taking pictures, and leaving, without showing that it is an advertisement. Others paid visits to some commercial enterprises and took videos and still pictures on their visit, presenting it as a shopping tour while advertising in disguise, then leaving the place unnoticed.
