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Did a celebrity really endorse THAT? Maybe it's a scam.

Before you spend money on that celebrity-endorsed premium cookware, weight loss product, or can’t-miss money-making opportunity, pause. Take a breath. Are you sure a celebrity or influencer is really endorsing that product or program? Maybe a scammer is behind that online ad. Scammers are using fake celebrity and influencer testimonials and endorsements — complete with doctored video and audio that seems like the real thing — to generate buzz and profits.

“But it looks and sounds real, so it must be true,” right? Not so much. The technology to make fake endorsement videos is improving all the time. Your best bet is to do some research on your own. Before you click and buy, follow this advice:

  • Check out that celebrity or influencer testimonial. Search online using their name, the name of the company or product, and words like “scam” or “fake.” See what others are saying.
  • Resist pressure to commit quickly. Scammers want you to act fast, and the ad might say it’s a limited time deal. But it’s not true. They just don’t want you to do any research or think it through.
  • Ask your health care professional about dietary supplements. The government doesn’t review or evaluate supplements for safety or effectiveness before they’re put on the market. Even a natural supplement can be risky depending on your health and the medicine you take, and your doctor knows your health better than a celebrity.
  • Know the investment risk. If anyone says you can earn a lot of money on an investment with little or no risk, don’t buy into the hype. Investments always involve risk — there are no guaranteed returns. Visit Investor.gov, a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) website, for more advice on investing and avoiding fraud.

Have you spotted a bogus celebrity endorsement? Report it to the FTC. 

It is your choice whether to submit a comment. If you do, you must create a user name, or we will not post your comment. The Federal Trade Commission Act authorizes this information collection for purposes of managing online comments. Comments and user names are part of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) public records system, and user names also are part of the FTC’s computer user records system. We may routinely use these records as described in the FTC’s Privacy Act system notices. For more information on how the FTC handles information that we collect, please read our privacy policy.

The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.

  • We won’t post off-topic comments, repeated identical comments, or comments that include sales pitches or promotions.
  • We won’t post comments that include vulgar messages, personal attacks by name, or offensive terms that target specific people or groups.
  • We won’t post threats, defamatory statements, or suggestions or encouragement of illegal activity.
  • We won’t post comments that include personal information, like Social Security numbers, account numbers, home addresses, and email addresses. To file a detailed report about a scam, go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

We don't edit comments to remove objectionable content, so please ensure that your comment contains none of the above. The comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. To protect your privacy and the privacy of other people, please do not include personal information. Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission.

Charmaine Gage
April 26, 2024

Thanks for the alert!

Thomas Santee
April 26, 2024

I appreciate these warnings. I feel like I am aware of the issue but it's always a good reminder to see these.

John L. Coniglio
April 26, 2024

It’s the AI. ABUSE THAT HAS STARTED WITHOUT PROPER CONSIDERATION OF DATA OR OUTCOME - a runaway freight train

John Richardson
April 26, 2024

I see a lot of questionable adds on Facebook. Most are time consuming click bait phishing expeditions. They are using credible personalities. Some real, some more questionable. Buyer beware.

Marnix A. van…
April 26, 2024

Sad to say, I fell for one of these scams 2 or 3 years ago. I forget the exact scam. I think it had to do with a CBD product that was endorsed or used by Don Lemon. It wasn't a whole lot of money, but still, what I got was worthless and there seemed to be no recourse for getting my money back. It's the only scam I've ever fallen for. I think it just hit me at the right time and under the right circumstances where I was too quick to go for something.

Karen
April 30, 2024

Thank you for the alert

Dale CAMERON
April 30, 2024

According to what I've read, most celebrities don't pay attention to text in the ad; just notice name of company and wait for $check$ to arrive (Kim Kardashian is exception).

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