FTC Shutting Down Fake News Affiliate Sites

Have affiliate marketers gone too far? Or are consumers just really dumb? Probably both in this case:

 
Replete with established news logos and official-sounding names such as “News 6 News Alerts,” the sites tout independent investigations of “miracle” acai berry supplements, claiming that they cause major weight loss in a short period of time with no diet or exercise.

“Almost everything about these sites is fake,” David Vladeck, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement. “The weight loss results, the so-called investigations, the reporters, the consumer testimonials, and the attempt to portray an objective, journalistic endeavor.”

A newly instituted consumer alert cautions potential buyers, “As a rule, legitimate news organizations do not endorse products.”

See it all at Business Insider

You can see one of the “fake pages” below (if you haven’t seen them 100 times already)…