The Commerce Commission has fielded 67 complaints about traders falsely advertising products as protecting against the coronavirus.
The Commerce Commission said nobody should be claiming something can provide a complete protection against Covid-19 or a cure. Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson
Commission chairperson Anna Rawlings said cure and prevention claims range from ozone therapy as a disinfectant for living areas, to lanyards coated in chlorine dioxide that provide a protective barrier to viruses and bacteria.
"Nobody should be claiming something can provide a complete protection or a complete cure to Covid itself. That would be of real concern to us," she said.
"We're working through the nature of the complaints to make sure we have a clear understanding of what's going on."
In most cases traders had removed potentially misleading claims from advertising, she said.
Last month, Medsafe warned people not to drink bleach, after revelations a website was promoting the chemical as a Covid-19 cure. The website has since shut down.
It is illegal for any person or business to make a claim about a good or service without substantial proof.
The complaints were received since the country went into lockdown in March.
