Spilling the tea on the latest COVID-19 cure claim

Wouldn’t it be nice if all you had to do to get rid of COVID-19 was drink some tea? Well, selling people easy, feel good products — without competent scientific evidence — is something scammers are good at — and the FTC is working aggressively to stop them.

In the FTC’s latest case targeting fake COVID-19 cure claims, the agency took action against B4B Earth Tea, LLC. The company claims drinking their beverage (which sells for $60 per 16-ounce bottle) will cure the disease. But the complaint, filed by the Department of Justice on the FTC’s behalf, says the company doesn’t have scientific evidence to back up their treatment or prevention claims. 

There are no supplements proven to treat or prevent COVID-19.

When it comes to fighting COVID-19 and spotting unsupported treatment claims:

• Always talk with your doctor or healthcare professional before you try any product claiming to treat, prevent, or cure COVID-19.
• When there’s a medical breakthrough to treat, prevent, or cure a disease, you’re not going to hear about it for the first time through an ad or sales pitch on social media.
• Visit CDC.gov and the FDA.gov for the most up-to-date information about COVID-19 and available vaccines.

Now, please share what you know, and ask others to do the same.

• Learn more about COVID-related scams at ftc.gov/coronavirus
• Sign up for consumer alerts at ftc.gov/consumeralerts
• Tell us about scams you’re seeing at ReportFraud.ftc.gov