The Lisbon Metro confirmed on Wednesday that fraudulent advertisements were visible on various billboards at stations. Upon becoming aware of the situation, the transportation company ordered their immediate removal.
“After understanding and analyzing the circumstances involved, the Lisbon Metro decided that the posters should be immediately removed from its spaces and that the advertising concessionaire, Publimetro, S.A., should undertake the appropriate legal actions with the competent entities, namely with the Public Prosecutor’s Office,” Metro’s official source told Notícias ao Minuto.
The news was initially reported by TSF, stating that the advertisement in question promised loans ranging from five thousand to 900 thousand euros to individuals and companies.
The same source explained to Notícias ao Minuto that the “advertising campaign was displayed across various advertising networks and not exclusively on the Lisbon Metro’s platforms.”
Furthermore, it was noted that the “management of the advertising spaces within the network is concessioned to Publimetro, S.A.” and “contractually, the concessionaire is solely responsible for evaluating and ensuring that the advertising campaigns displayed at the Lisbon Metro meet the required legal and ethical standards.”
The source added that the “Lisbon Metro does not directly intervene in the selection of advertising campaigns, nor does it validate the content or the identity of the advertiser entities.”
In a statement to TSF, a businessman mentioned that “it was an advertisement that seemed entirely credible, highly credible, with a credible design (…) and it almost turned into a phishing case.”
