Ad Scams and Arbitrage

Misleading ads often lead to obscure websites that host lengthy slideshow articles with lots of pages — a practice called advertising arbitrage. Snopes is here to save you the click.

An ad said to always place a toilet paper roll under the toilet seat at night and promised to say why but did not.

Should an Empty Toilet Paper Roll or Red Cup Be Placed Under the Toilet Seat at Night?

20 July 2021

Online advertisements promised what appeared to be a handy bathroom trick.

Fact Check

Shark Tank did not endorse Keto Burn or a 50lbs in 61 days offer for weight loss.

Don’t Bite on ‘Shark Tank’ Weight Loss Scam Promising ’50lbs in 61 Days’

30 June 2021

Unsolicited emails that appeared as a fake Fox News article led to a Keto Burn...

Fact Check

AOC whose full name is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez does not own one of the world's most expensive houses.

Ad Falsely Claims AOC Owns One of World’s Most Expensive Houses

2 June 2021

We hope this saves readers more than 150 clicks.

News

An online ad showed WD-40 being sprayed into a car's gas tank.

Ad Promises WD-40 Trick for Gas Tanks … 70-Page Article Never Mentions It

2 June 2021

Some corners of the internet would have you believe WD-40 can do anything.

News

Chrissy Metz weight loss ads showed the This Is Us star in a misleading way.

Chrissy Metz of ‘This Is Us’ Fame Featured in Misleading Weight Loss Ads

31 May 2021

Advertisers posted a doctored image of actress Melissa McCarthy with Metz's face while at the...

News

Juan Williams salary at Fox News was the subject of a strange internet ad.

Juan Williams’ Salary at Fox News Promised in Misleading Ad

19 May 2021

The strange ad led to a 121-page article. We promise this story will only be...

News

Hetty Lange from NCIS Los Angeles was mentioned in an ad that led to a story that didn't mention her once.

Hetty from ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ Highlighted in Misleading Ad

19 May 2021

For at least several months, a strange online advertisement promised information about "why Hetty no...

News

Ads about Thomas Ravaux claimed Tenants Destroy Home But Landlord Gets Last Laugh and Landlord Gets Ultimate Revenge When Tenants Leave.

Did a Landlord Get Revenge on Tenants Who Destroyed a Home?

12 May 2021

Readers may have seen ads that claimed a landlord got the "ultimate revenge" and "last...

Fact Check

An ad claimed that 1 in 2 Mac Users Are Unaware of This Trick to Clean Their Mac but it simply led to software called MacKeeper.

Are 1 in 2 Mac Users ‘Unaware’ of a ‘Trick’ to Clean a Mac?

12 May 2021

For several years, an online advertisement claimed that "1 in 2 Mac users" were "unaware"...

Fact Check

Did Kevin Costner and Octavia Spencer Get Married?

27 April 2021

A routine review of intentionally misleading online advertisements.

Fact Check

WD-40 cannot fix a cracked phone screen.

Can WD-40 Fix Cracked Phone Screens?

25 April 2021

Pictures of WD-40 cans pointed at cracked phone screens have appeared for years in YouTube...

Fact Check

A boy did not reveal his dads secret at school nor did doctors take him to hospital the next day.

Did Doctors Hospitalize a Boy After He Revealed His Dad’s Secret?

24 April 2021

The real story was already fairly remarkable, but advertisers took it up a notch in...

Fact Check