# Philip Morris accused of fraud and deception over IQOS

> Stichting Rookpreventie Jeugd alleges fraud and deception over the company's IQOS heated-tobacco product, which Philip Morris presents as less harmful than smoking.

Society · published 2026-11-02 05:48 · https://nlnow.nl/a/foundation-brings-new-criminal-complaint-against-philip-morris/

Stichting Rookpreventie Jeugd, a foundation working to prevent young people from smoking, is bringing a new criminal complaint against tobacco maker Philip Morris. It alleges fraud and deception over the company's heated-tobacco product, the IQOS.

Heated tobacco uses an electronic device that warms special tobacco sticks instead of burning them. Philip Morris says this is less harmful than smoking. The The public health institute RIVM says heated-tobacco products are harmful and not a safe alternative to smoking.

The foundation says Philip Morris is getting around the ban on tobacco advertising. It alleges the company uses misleading data in its campaigns, and says the marketing's real aim is to "get as many people addicted as possible".

Lawyer Bénédicte Ficq helped draw up the complaint. Ten years ago she filed a complaint against the tobacco industry over the *sjoemelsigaret*, the "rigged cigarette". The new complaint is supported by, among others, KWF and the Longfonds, the Dutch lung foundation.

The complainants think prosecution will follow this time, because tobacco advertising and misleading consumers are already banned. "This complaint is meant, for once, not to play catch-up but to step in while we still can," Ficq says.

Wanda de Kanter, chair of the foundation, says: "The tobacco industry's deception has now been going on for a hundred years."

## Background

- **RIVM (Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu)**: The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, the government institute that monitors infectious diseases, runs the national vaccination programmes and measures air quality and nitrogen deposition.
- **Stichting Rookpreventie Jeugd**: Stichting Rookpreventie Jeugd is a Dutch foundation (stichting) that works to prevent young people from starting to smoke. Its name means "Smoking Prevention for Youth Foundation." It is a non-profit organisation and does not sell tobacco products.
- **KWF (Koningin Wilhelmina Fonds)**: KWF is the Dutch cancer charity that funds cancer research and campaigns for cancer prevention, including reducing smoking. It is a foundation that raises money from the public to support research and patient-related work in the Netherlands.

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