The cases involved accusations ranging from fraudulent advertising to misrepresenting used products as new.

He maintains that because the book is sold in stores, it is "fraudulent advertising" and "is not protected by the First Amendment."

But the surging demand for a weight loss "silver bullet" has fueled a rapid rise in fraudulent advertising, industry groups and regulators say.

Without self-regulation by the industry, many diet companies concede that the rise in fraudulent advertising is likely to continue unabated.

But sensational, even fraudulent, advertising has become so rampant - "Painless Abortions!"

We discipline lawyers for false or fraudulent advertising.

An investment adviser who advertises heavily on financial talk radio programs has been sanctioned by the Securities and Exchange Commission for fraudulent advertising.

"There is no way of judging whether the extent of fraudulent advertising has gotten better or worse," Ms. Jansen said.

This is fraudulent advertising and you know it is.

But fraudulent advertising doesn't seem to be a deterrent to sales.