A total of 7,221 complaints related to the sale of spurious, fake, and duplicate products in the e-commerce sector were registered on the National Consumer Helpline between January and June this year, surpassing the 4,997 complaints recorded during the entire year of 2024. The data was shared in Parliament, highlighting growing consumer concerns over deceptive practices in online retail.
In response, the Bureau of Indian Standards conducted 22 search and seizure operations at warehouses linked to e-commerce platforms during FY 2024–25. These included three operations each in Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, and Maharashtra; two each in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu; and one each in Gujarat, Odisha, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
To protect consumers from unfair trade practices, the Department of Consumer Affairs has implemented the Consumer Protection (E-commerce) Rules, 2020. These rules prohibit price manipulation for unjustified profit, arbitrary consumer classification, and any form of unfair trade practice by e-commerce entities.
On National Consumer Day 2024, 13 major e-commerce companies—including Reliance Retail, Tata Sons Group, Zomato, Ola, and Swiggy—signed a safety pledge initiated by the Department to reinforce consumer protection standards.
The Central Consumer Protection Authority has been established to address unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements. It is empowered to initiate class action, enforce product recalls, and mandate refunds and returns. The authority has issued Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023, identifying 13 deceptive tactics used in e-commerce, such as false urgency, basket sneaking, bait and switch, and subscription traps.
An advisory was issued on June 5 urging e-commerce platforms to conduct self-audits to detect dark patterns and foster a fair and ethical digital ecosystem. Additionally, the CCPA has released guidelines to prevent misleading advertisements and endorsements, outlining conditions for validity and responsibilities of manufacturers, service providers, advertisers, and agencies.
Action continues to be taken against entities violating consumer rights through deceptive advertising and unfair practices under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
