The Italian influencer, 36, has been fined 1,075 million euros for “unfair commercial practice”, as reported this Friday by the Italian Competition and Market Guarantee Authority (AGCOM). The ruling states that both Chiara Ferragni as two of its companies made consumers understand that by purchasing the Balocco pandoro (traditional Christmas sweet) they would contribute to a donation to the Regina Margherita Hospital in Turin to acquire machinery for the therapeutic treatment of children with cancer.
The donation in question was 50,000 euros and had already been made by Balocco months before, while the companies linked to Chiara Ferragni raised more than one million euros with the sale of the pandoro thanks to this initiative, which the AGCOM has described as ” fraudulent.” For this reason, the Antitrust Authority has fined the companies Fenice and TBS Crew, which manage the brands and rights relating to the personality and personal identity of Chiara Ferragni, respectively, for 400,000 euros and 675,000 euros, and Balocco for 420,000 euros.
The three are accused of “having engaged in an unfair commercial practice by advertising the Pandoro Pink Christmas, which bore the name of Chiara Ferragni, giving consumers the impression that, by purchasing it, they would have contributed to a donation to the Regina Margherita Hospital in Turin to acquire new machinery for the therapeutic treatment of children with osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma”. Antitrust highlights that the unfair practice could be verified in various behaviors, from the dissemination of false information for the donation such as “making people believe, in the press release presenting the initiative, that when purchasing the Pandoro Pink Christmas for more than 9 euros , instead of around 3.70 euros for the 'classic', unbranded Pandoro, consumers would contribute to the donation that, in fact, Balocco had already made.”
With more than 29 million followers on social networks and a fortune of 30 million euros, Chiara Ferragni is considered one of the most important influencers in the fashion sector. She is married to rapper Fedez and has two children, Leo and Vittoria.
