The FTC started cracking down and seizing some Fake News sites last week. We’ve been hoping this was coming for over a year now, but the hammer of justice is slow moving sometimes.
So far it’s only been sites that promote Acai Berry junk, as they are likely the most easy cases to prosecute. If they can’t get them on the false testimonials or using major brand “As Seen On” claims, they can always go for false health claims as well.
You can check out the FTC report HERE
Interesting that they are finally targeting the Affiliate Marketers and their sites rather than the companies that allowed these products to be sold fraudulently.
So far no action taken against the tons of fake news sites promoting get rich quick money making schemes, but hopefully if the FTC can win some of these cases based on deceptive advertising rather than deceptive health claims, they can have a precedent to go after the other niches using these fake news sites.
An interesting tidbit from the report is that the 10 defendants named in the suit collectively paid over $10 million in advertising fees. I’ve heard some people say on various black hat forums that these types of deceptive practices can bring in anywhere from 50% to 500% profits! Will sure be interesting to hear how much they made as the case goes on.
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Let’s hope they crack down on those #$#$ing ‘One weird trick for a tiny belly’ ads and all their moronic variations next. I can’t believe anyone still looks at them, they’re so spammy!