This law is about cheating people in business. A person breaks this law when they run a business and purposely or carelessly do dishonest things — like using a fake scale, selling less than what was promised, selling fake or mislabeled goods, lying in ads, or advertising a price or product they never plan to actually offer. This is a class A misdemeanor, which is a crime.
Classifications stated in the statute. Actual outcomes vary.
570.140. Deceptive business practice — . — 1. A person commits the of deceptive business practice if in the course of engaging in a business, or profession, he or she :
(1) Uses or possesses for use a false weight or measure, or any other device for falsely determining or any quality or quantity;
(2) Sells, offers, displays for sale, or less than the represented quantity of any or ;
(3) Takes or attempts to take more than the represented quantity of any commodity or service when as buyer he or she furnishes the weight or measure;
(4) Sells, offers, or exposes for sale or commodities;
(5) Makes a false or misleading written statement for the purpose of obtaining property or ;
(6) Promotes the sale of property or services by a false or misleading statement in any ; or
(7) Advertises in any manner the sale of property or services with the purpose not to sell or provide the property or services:
(a) At the price which he or she offered them;
(b) In a quantity sufficient to meet the reasonably expected public , unless the quantity is specifically stated in the advertisement; or
(c) At all.
2. The offense of deceptive business practice is a .
Tap any gold-underlined word to see what it means.
Source & history notes
(L. 1977 S.B. 60, A.L. 2014 S.B. 491) Effective 1-01-17
Related Missouri laws
Fraudulent procurement of a credit or debit card
RSMo 570.135
Financial exploitation of the elderly person or person with a disability
RSMo 570.145
Financial institution accounts fraud, offense of
RSMo 570.148
Fraudulent use of a credit device or debit device
RSMo 570.130
Commercial bribery
RSMo 570.150
Fraudulently stopping payment on an instrument
RSMo 570.125
Legal information, not legal advice. Always confirm with the official source at revisor.mo.gov.