On May 30, 2024, the Flamengo Online YouTube channel posted a video titled “Dana Perino Bloom CBD Gummies Really Work? ((BIG ALERT)) Dana Perino CBD – Dana Perino CBD Gummies.” The video falsely claimed that Fox News host Dana Perino owned a line of CBD gummies and that these gummies could treat dementia. The same video was reposted on June 13 and June 19.
The woman in the video made additional misleading claims about the product’s ability to treat Alzheimer’s disease. However, there is no credible evidence tying CBD gummies to the treatment of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Dana Perino has no involvement with CBD gummies.
YouTube’s policy prohibits scams and deceptive practices, but the videos did not violate their policies, according to a YouTube spokesperson. Snopes reported the videos to YouTube, but the channels and many of their scam videos remain available on the platform as of early July.
Our research indicates that this scam operation involves a large network of YouTubers posting scammy videos under the guise of affiliate marketing. The channels originally built up their subscriber bases by posting music videos or sports clips, and after growing their subscriber numbers, someone in control of the channels began posting scammy videos about medicinal products. The videos displayed external links to product-purchase pages, found in both the videos’ descriptions and pinned comments.
Many of the scam operation’s videos showed signs of possibly displaying inauthentic numbers for views and likes, and the videos’ positive comments appeared fake. The channels’ owners posted videos of the same unidentified woman who misinformed viewers about “Dana Perino CBD gummies” as a dementia treatment. The channels’ videos also featured other men and women who promoted additional medicinal products.
The same woman who promoted the “Dana Perino CBD” false claim appeared on many other channels as well, including the @jostland YouTube channel. Other prominent YouTube channels posting at least dozens or hundreds of scammy videos either currently or in the past included Astromuss Music, Lyrics de Músicas, HD Hits, MAURICIO VIDEOSHD, and SOM DOS STATUSS.
In April 2024, we contacted several of the popular YouTube channels in the scam operation to ask why they hosted the videos. The owner of one of the channels indicated that they accepted money on a contractual basis in order to allow other users to promote their own videos to the channel’s large subscriber base. This information meant the people appearing in the scammy videos likely did not own the channels themselves.
Snopes presented evidence of the scam network to YouTube in April, but at the time, a YouTube spokesperson told us that the channels provided by Snopes did not violate their policies and as such would remain on their platform. As of early July, the aforementioned channels and many of their scam videos remain available to YouTube users. The videos also sometimes prominently display in Google search results to people who might be seeking helpful treatment options for medical issues.
