Despite being notified twice by Snopes via emails, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is continuing to host files associated with a fake celebrity endorsement scam involving CBD gummies and country music star Reba McEntire. McEntire has nothing to do with the scam, as her image and likeness are being used without her authorization. We previously filed two reports on the subject.
CBD and Keto Gummies Scams
For years, online scams involving CBD and keto oil and gummies have plagued the internet. Such scams have led customers to order the products with the false belief that they work magic as a cure for dementia and diseases, and that one or more prominent celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and the cast of the "Shark Tank" TV show had endorsed them.
In the past, we've located reports of customers being charged more than they had been promised, according to comments found under fake reviews (archived) and other sources. The customers also said they had difficulty reaching the companies involved in order to process a refund or a return. For example, on CBD and keto gummies product-order pages, we've witnessed phone numbers mysteriously missing from specific places where they should appear in terms-and-conditions documents.
Here's What AWS Is Hosting
The types of files associated with the McEntire CBD gummies scam that Amazon hosts include images (.jpg and .png), JavaScript (.js), and cascading style sheets (.css). Together, these files make up some of the components of a fake article (archived) that was designed by scammers to resemble FoxNews.com. Scammers appeared to have created the fake Fox News article as a trust signal to users susceptible to believing it had any legitimacy. The article falsely claimed that McEntire endorsed CBD gummies as a "solution" to "reverse" dementia. Fox News had nothing to do with the scam.
One of the files Amazon hosted (archived) showed a fake Fox News headline about CBD gummies with McEntire seated on the set of Andy Cohen's Bravo TV show, "Watch What Happens Live."
Contacting Amazon PR
We first contacted Amazon's public relations team by email on Aug. 8. A company spokesperson responded on the same day and linked us to a page that detailed the acceptable use policies for AWS. The page also included a link where policy-violating content could be reported. However, the form on the page required some data that we did not have, and thus, could not be submitted.
We then reached out to Amazon by email a second time on Aug. 12. We expressed urgency as to what this matter involved, saying that these kinds of scams often prey on the elderly and the disabled, according to stories we've read. However, we did not receive a response over the following four days.
List of Files Hosted by AWS
Amazon hosts the following files for the McEntire CBD gummies scam:
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/logo.png
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/links.png
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/mobile.png
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/share2.png
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/rebamain.jpg
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/rebainterview.jpg
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/330.jpg
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/331.jpg
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/km.jpg
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/d3.jpg
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/bottle/Natures%20One%20CBD%20Gummies.png
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/button.png
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/pp1.png
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/pp3.png
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/pp5.png
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/pp2.png
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/pp6.png
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/side1.jpg
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/side3.jpg
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/translateelement.css
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/disable-devtool.min.js
This story will be updated if we receive further details.
