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That online news story with glowing reviews about an amazing weight-loss product (or other health supplement) may be fake – designed to look like objective reporters have tested the stuff. Don’t be fooled.
Just a few weeks ago, the Federal Trade Commission permanently shut down six companies charged with running fake news sites to market acai berry supplements and other weight loss products. The bogus news sites had names like “Daily Health 6,” “Consumer News Reporter” and “Health News Health Alerts.”
In a previous column I warned that there is no proof acai berry products can help you shed the pounds. Read: Acai berry scam: You'll lose money, not weight)
These fake news sites often use logos of major media outlets, such as ABC, Fox News, CBS, CNN, USA Today and MSNBC, to add instant (and unwarranted) credibility.
“The scam artists are exploiting people’s trust in well-known news organizations,” says FTC attorney Steven Wernikoff. “There was no reporter; there was no investigation, no dramatic weight loss and no affiliation with a reputable news source. Essentially, everything about the site was false.”
The word “advertorial” is on the page in small print, but it’s real easy to miss. And prosecutors say a disclaimer like that does not make it OK to run an ad that is otherwise misleading and deceptive.
So who are the reporters on the site? Investigators say some are stock photos; others are simply copied from reputable sites. For instance, the attractive reporter in many of the ads is Melissa Theuriau, a reporter for the French television network M6 who had nothing to do with the fictional news story in the online ads.
How do they get you to their fictional news sites? The marketers and their affiliates buy display ads all over the Internet on trusted, high-volume websites.
“In our investigation, we found that there were billions of these ads that were posted on these sites, so consumers saw these ads pretty regularly,” Wernikoff tells me. “The individuals we sued paid over $10 million dollars just to post these ads.”
Unfortunately, deception can be lucrative.
The bottom line
Be skeptical of anything trying to sell you a product – especially if it’s disguised as a news story. Legitimate news organizations do not endorse products. And they don’t put links to “free trial offers” in their news stories, as these fake news stories did.
Don’t let down your guard just because you click on a link on a trusted website. No one can check out all the ads flying around the Internet. It’s up to you to protect yourself.
More Info:
News Release: FTC Permanently Stops Six Operators from Using Fake News Sites that Allegedly Deceived Consumers about Acai Berry Weight-Loss Products
Consumer Alert: Fake News Sites Promote Bogus Weight Loss Benefits of Acai Berry Supplements
Leave a Comment:
I don't feel bad for people that fall for these schemes. Many think a magical pill will turn their life around. Sorry, but eat right, excercise, get the right amount of sleep and make some right choices.
Simple I know. I'm not talking about people that have serious health issues, but those are the ones that should be seeing a doctor not watching the boob tube for that miracle pill.
"...ABC, Fox News, CBS, CNN, USA Today and MSNBC, to add instant (and unwarranted) credibility."
Anything on MSNBC does not ADD credibility, it destroys it.
Does citing the major news outlets really increase credibility?
Yes. You're here, aren't you?
Look at all the hoodia scams referencing 60 Minutes. 60 Minutes has been on the air for 44 years.
Acai berry may not help you lose weight, but it is still beneficial for its antioxidants. I would have a problem if they were selling something dangerous or toxic and claiming it to be beneficial, or a weight loss product, but this is a berry, and it won't hurt or kill you.
Then why is MSNBC still posting these commercialized news stories on their FRONT PAGE! The woman that earns $6,300 dollars from home...or the magical cream that erases wrinkles making you look SUPER YOUNG, and dermatologists hate the woman who created it...
Seriously? MSNBC is what? Trying to hide the fact that they are helping promote fake sites on their own news service? And their warning us not to believe @!$%# on their OWN news site?
That's pretty stupid. If they want the money from promoting fake @!$%#, then maybe MSNBC is also liable for false advertising on their own news site. In which case, maybe their the one's who should be sued. After all a GOOD REPORTER CHECKS UP ON THE @!$%# ON THEIR OWN NEWSPAPER!
Exactly what I was thinking, KeyOrion. I might also add that while it could actually be true that the product is "as seen on CBS, NBC, etc.," what they don't mention is that it was probably seen on the major outlets in a story warning about these very kind of scams.
Snake oil vendors have been using this tactic since the 1800s. There is noting new here. It does not matter what the product is; just look at the energy effincency numbers for new appliances or the miles-per-gallon of new cars.
Believe nothing of what you see, hear or read and only half of what you see.
90% of statistics are made up on the spot
did you just make that up?
MSNBC posted pretty much the same article last year where it was quickly pointed out that they were also displaying ads for those same fake news sites, often alongside the very article deriding them.
They added some corporatespeak about how it's not their fault and how they'll get rid of those ads. Nothing has changed. I expect we'll see the same article again next year.
wasn't this also true of the milli vanilli albums?