In January 2023, Meta was hosting misleading ads on Facebook and Instagram that led to claims saying film actor Sandra Bullock endorsed "weight loss gummies," including CBD gummies and keto gummies. Some of the ads also mentioned there were "allegations" against Bullock.
However, none of this was true. Bullock never endorsed any CBD or keto gummies, nor were there any "allegations" against her. The "allegations" ads were nothing more than clickbait, as were other ads that claimed Bullock had met "a tragic end."
These ads were hosted by Meta.
The links in the ads led to a fake CNN Health article that had been designed to fool users into thinking they were reading from CNN.com. In reality, CNN had nothing to do with the story. It was hosted on an obscure website.
This article was never published by CNN.
The article showed the headline, "Big Pharma In Outrage Over Sandra Bullock's Latest Business Venture - She Fires Back With This!":
Famous actress, producer and entrepreneurial genius, Sandra Bullock made headlines after revealing her new CBD line on Live TV last week. Pharmaceutical companies were outraged saying they will be filing a lawsuit against Sandra Bullock and his partners for violating their contract and undercutting their prices. Sandra Bullock responded with this:
"When I started this whole thing back in 2017, it really was just a part time passion project and a way for me to give back. After being given so much, I figured there was no better time to make Rejuvenate CBD Gummies available to everyone, as it can help thousands of people experience life pain-free and live much happier lives."
Her product, Rejuvenate CBD Gummies, has been flying off the shelves within minutes and Sandra Bullock says her number one struggle as CEO is being able to keep up with demand. Her CBD wellness line is 77% cheaper and four times more effective than those being offered by Bayer and other "Big Pharma" companies. It's the solution for those who want to improve both their physical and mental well-being.
...
"I'm not going to let these companies intimidate me," Sandra Bullock fired back during his appearance. "Our product, Rejuvenate CBD Gummies, has helped me and my family not just cope with what ails us but to thrive! I am so confident in it that I'm offering discounted samples to everyone. Rejuvenate CBD Gummies is the product of thousands of hours of research and development. I wouldn't talk about something on air I don't believe in and give to my family."
None of this was true. It was all completely made up by scammers.
For more about how these celebrity endorsement scams work for CBD and keto gummies, we recommend readers look through our previous stories about Tom Selleck, Oprah Winfrey, and Mayim Bialik, who also had their image and likeness used without permission.