PANAMA’S  Consumer Protection Authority (Acodeco) detected  185  consumer rip- offs (officially described as “anomalies”0 during the"Black Friday"  inspections.  

The inspections, of more than 660 businesses, were to verify that  advertised “deals”  were actually available to shoppers and that prices were correctly displayed.

The inspections took place both in Panama City and the interior said the entity in a preliminary report.

Of the businesses found in violation of consumer protection laws, 112 of them were in Panama City.

There was one incident in Bocas del Toro where an inspector from the agency was assaulted by a merchant. That case is under  further   investigation.

The most common offense was placing restrictions on purchases that had not been properly clarified and advertising discounts that were not available on all merchandise. Another common violation was raising the price of a product, and then claiming to offer it a discount.