This kind of thing enrages me.

It’s been going on for a long time, and it continues to spread via social media. And today I’m looking directly at Facebook, which seems happy to take advertising money for all sorts of spurious enterprises (see my earlier post about Chinese bottom-feeders trying to sell counterfeit Morgan dollar collections).

Today this showed up as a “promoted post” in my Facebook feed (on my Android, it should be noted; I use FBP on the desktop and almost never see an ad there):

“After loosing temper” was my first red flag. Great Mogg’s titanium teeth, people, learn the difference between “loose” and “lose.” But it turns out that the page you get to has nothing to do with the stated headline.

(I don’t even know if Artsy On knows anything about this. They seem to be selling books, but I frankly don’t have the time or energy to do a deep dive into their website metadata. It’s possible someone added a malicious link to their website and is using it to redirect to the seller’s page.)

If you hover, the link is listed as:

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.artsyon.com%2Fnews%2Fsure-behavior-in-relationships%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0Eo2af2kqkNJ8wqg1r0znQUTBKBTppmYUUHlhPBCxsfeItT5-w-09plxI&h=AT3mQSgsZBHLOkDAcI5TvCnUi8Opo0H2VaNwgjOkDCux-vqA3ARB5yZCMYO2TrYwQCO27hJYRa-V5TlZb-7AqHj99md2idlAXWQPEdGr5fnTiiwixBIQ-VYwDkD_n4ZoYZN6pJx1YHCUlVw8sw&__tn__=%2CmH-R&c[0]=AT1LTRiOQCEjWHJNeZZWjDGzl-JQb5g2dv6dpRIQ88dt95O3_J5A8Nx9fYhP83_8pfh2lyUdHNERTrLBoFJS0OodULx3TpYYlYArzXUaK5mZu57pzJEchT7XuPycn7SgbE5oo3vixHXKTiJgX3gbgclfew

although the first bit about Facebook is invisible. But if you click the link, it takes you to:

https://flower-halibut-tb68.squarespace.com/news/sure-behavior-in-relationships

which is a farticle (fake article) implying that Whoopi is endorsing or promoting this garbage called Cheyenne Valley CBD Oil:

The advertisement is designed to look like a Time Magazine article. It’s not. And Ms. Goldberg does not promote or endorse this product. At all. In any way. The whole thing is made up out of whole cloth as an affiliate marketing scam to get you to the marketing page for this questionable product. ¹

The second paragraph in this scammy advertisement reads like this:

“When I started this whole thing back in 2020, 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 Cheyenne Valley CBD Oil available to everyone, as it can help thousands of people experience life pain-free and live much happier lives.”

But in this article from healthmj, we see a very similar quote:

“This was a really, really difficult decision for me. When I started this whole thing back in 2015, it really was just a part-time passion project and a way for me to give back. Now here we are almost five years later, and Green CBD Oil has steadily grown into a full-fledged business that’s helped thousands of people become pain-free and much happier. My line gives me a chance to do something bigger than music, and I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life if I let that opportunity pass me by.”

Blake Shelton doesn’t endorse any sort of CBD Oil. Neither does Tom Hanks, for that matter, and he says so in no uncertain terms. These bottom-feeders will use anyone’s name to get people to their sales page. Once you get there, it’s the same tired old format that I’ve written about multiple times:

Of course, this is just the hook; buried deeply in the Terms and Conditions which almost nobody ever reads, is the catch:

Important Notes

Failure to cancel within the trial period will result in our subscription program and further charges.

The trial begins the same day you order. It doesn’t begin when you receive the trial in the mail.

Applicable sales tax may be applied to all charges.

We allow only 1 trial purchase per household.

As part of ordering a trial, you agree to join a recurring membership plan. You can modify your subscription anytime by contacting us.

This is not a free sample offer. We only offer as a trial, which turns into a subscription or individual bottles.

The most efficient method of contacting us is through care@buycheyennevalley.com. Please provide your name and phone number and we will get back to you as soon as possible

The trial period begins on day of order. To clarify, it does not begin when you receive the product.

By placing your order today you’ll be shipped a 30 day supply of Cheyenne Valley CBD Oil for only $6.89. This gives you the opportunity to try this remarkable product so you can come to a decision for yourself if this is the right product for you. If you are dissatisfied with the product, you must call 8774388714 within 14 days trial plus 3 days shipping (total of 17 days) from today to cancel your membership and avoid being charged of $99.89, which is the full price of the product. If you are satisfied with the product, you need do nothing else and upon the expiration of the trial period, you will be billed $99.89. The total monthly subscription charge of $99.89 includes shipping and handling for the full cost of the product. Thirty days after your trial period ends and every thirty days thereafter, we will send you a fresh monthly supply at the low price of $99.89 per until you cancel your membership. There’s no obligation and you may cancel your membership at any time by calling 8774388714 or by sending an email to care@buycheyennevalley.com. The trial period begins from the day of ordering the product.

Address the return package to:
PO Box 15911, Tampa, FL 33684

Everything about these scammy, barely-legal offers is based on lies. The celebrity endorsement, publication by a major company (TIME magazine, in this case), the price of the offer, the claim of “extremely high demand” and “limited stock,” all of the supposed endorsements from “satisfied customers” – it’s all lies. All lies.

So even if you take the bait, bite the hook, get reeled in, and pay $100 a month(!) for a tiny bottle of who-knows-what, what kind of quality do you think you might be getting from a company that resorts to such reprehensible tricks to get your business? I wouldn’t use it if you paid me a Benjamin.

Protect yourself from scams and don’t give your money to any company that does business this way. And please educate your loved ones who may be vulnerable to such tactics.

And Facebook, take note. Stop accepting ads from this kind of scammer. It makes you look worse than you already do.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

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Footnotes

¹ In the interest of full clarity:

For several years, Ms. Goldberg was a partner in a website called Whoopi and Maya, which was focused on providing high-quality medical cannabis to women as a relief for menstrual cramps. When she and her partner came to a parting of the ways, the business was dissolved.

There are rumors that she may be involved in launching a new cannabis-related enterprise. Whether this comes to fruition remains to be seen. All that said, she does not endorse this scummy “Cheyenne Valley CBD Oil” and never has.

As for me, I’m looking forward to seeing her as Guinan in the 2nd Season of Star Trek: Picard.