The Beijing industry and commerce authority said Friday it will closely monitor fraudulent advertisements on the internet, including claims of being the "best college entrance exam training classes" and franchising programs that say "invest a grand and get millions in a month".

The measure is a response to online ads that provide false product information or exaggerate the qualities and functions of products and services, said officials with the Beijing Municipal Industry and Commerce Bureau.

Fines for offenders can reach five times the cost of the advertising, officials said, citing the national law on advertising.

The authority's advertisement monitoring center registered 11,207 fraudulent or illegal advertisements in 2006, making up 0.3 percent of the four million ads posted on television, radio, the internet and in newspapers in the capital.

Advertisements for cigarettes and medical treatments, which are outlawed by national bans, can still be found in some media supports.

The Beijing municipal industry and commerce authority called on media outlets in the capital to censor advertisements before the public sees or hears them.

Nationwide, Chinese industrial and commercial authorities recorded 61,800 illegal advertisements last year, including 16,600 fraudulent ones.

Eleven Chinese government departments, including the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, the Ministry of Information Industry, the Ministry of Health and the State Food and Drug Administration, vowed on Tuesday to crack down on fraudulent advertisements to protect the rights and interests of consumers.

The crackdown will mainly target ads for medicines, medical services, foodstuffs, cosmetics and beauty services.

(Xinhua News Agency February 3, 2007)