The government of Linyi, a county in Shandong, has published a statement criticizing online advertisements that promoted the area’s produce with sympathetic stories and images of impoverished farmers, Beijing Youth Daily reported Wednesday.

The ads used years-old photos and videos to make false claims that farmers were suffering from overstocked produce, the statement said. Some had used shady means to gain access to official produce stamps, it added, and reused the same images and tactics to sell pineapples from Guangdong and oranges from Anhui.

“Playing the pity card on WeChat public accounts is a common marketing strategy,” the government said. “[But] in the long run, it undermines the entire brand … and the overall interests of the fruit farmers.” (Images: Weibo)