On May 30, 2024, the Flamengo Online YouTube channel video (Archived) posted a video titled “Do Dana Perino Bloom CBD Gummies Really Work? ((Big Warning)) Dana Perino CBD – Dana Perino CBD Gummies”. The same channel also posted this video. June 13th (Archived) and June 19th (Archived).
In the video, an unidentified woman falsely claims that Fox News host Dana Perino owns a line of CBD gummies. The woman also falsely claims that Perino’s gummy products are a treatment for dementia, and provides viewers with “official” links to purchase the products in the video’s description and pinned comments.
“So, I’m here today to talk to you about Dana Perino CBD Gummies,” the woman in the video said. “Stay tuned. I’ve also left the official webpage right below this video, so if you want to buy them, go directly there. But, guys, what’s really great about these gummies is that they help treat dementia.” Later in the video, she made even more misleading claims about the product’s dementia-treating abilities. Alzheimer’s disease.
As we previously reported, Perino is not involved with CBD gummies, and we have not found any credible evidence that CBD gummies are related to treating dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Website A report published by Alzheimer’s UK said: “There is no research to prove that cannabis, or products such as cannabis oil (CBD oil) can stop, slow, reverse or prevent the disease that leads to dementia.”
We reached out to the Flamengo Online YouTube channel via WhatsApp to inquire about the promotion of the scam videos but have not received a response at the time of writing. We will update this article if more information becomes available.
YouTube’s response to Snopes
In response to our inquiries about the video, a YouTube spokesperson said in an email to Snopes on June 28, “YouTube has clear policies prohibiting scams and other deceptive behavior and we strictly enforce them. After our investigation, we found that the video shared by Snopes did not violate our policies.”
The spokesperson also said: page Comply with YouTube’s Spam, Deceptive Behavior and Scam Policy.
But that policy page perfectly described the three videos uploaded to Flamengo Online’s YouTube channel: “YouTube doesn’t allow spam, scams, or other deceptive behavior that exploits the YouTube community, including content whose primary purpose is to trick people into leaving YouTube for another site. If you see content that violates these policies, please report it.”
Snopes reported the “Dana Perino CBD Gummies” video to YouTube, as recommended on their policy page. To quote directly from YouTube’s policy, the “primary purpose” of the Flamengo Online scammer’s video was to “trick others into leaving YouTube and going to other sites” after hearing an unidentified woman falsely claim that Perino was endorsing CBD gummies for the treatment of dementia.
After receiving the spokesperson’s response, I emailed YouTube again but didn’t receive a response within five days.
The seriousness of this fraud
Our previous investigations into these particular scams have uncovered large-scale operations of YouTubers posting fraudulent videos under the guise of affiliate marketing.
The scam involved Flamengo Online and at least dozens of other popular YouTube channels. These channels primarily posted music videos and sports clips to grow their subscriber base. After the channel owners grew their subscriber base to tens, hundreds of thousands, or even millions, someone managing the channel began posting fraudulent videos about pharmaceuticals. The videos featured external links to product purchase pages in both the video description and pinned comments. These products did not have familiar names and would not be found in a local pharmacy by Americans.
Many of the scam videos showed signs that they may have faked their views and likes. Additionally, the positive comments on the videos also appeared to be fake. For example, a video from the Flamengo Online channel had: comment “Thank you so much for the great info, I will,” one incomplete sentence read. A completely different account also posted a new comment (not a reply) completing the other user’s sentence, writing, “I will try the CBD gummies soon.” In other words, it appears that one person was copying and pasting pre-prepared comments while logging in and out of multiple accounts, embedding positive comments underneath the video, as they have done in many other videos.
The user managing the channel posted videos of the same unidentified woman, falsely informing viewers that “Dana Perino CBD Gummies” were a dementia treatment. Other men and women also appeared in the channel’s videos promoting additional pharmaceuticals. Many of the products featured in the scam videos promised miraculous results for a variety of medical issues. The “About” tab for each channel typically listed the owner’s location as Argentina, Brazil, Guatemala, Peru, or other Central or South American countries.
The same woman who promoted the false claims of “Dana Perino CBD” also appeared on many other channels, including the @jostland YouTube channel.
Other notable YouTube channels that currently or have previously posted at least dozens or hundreds of scam videos include: Astromas Music, Music lyrics, HD Hits, Mauricio Video HD and SOM DOS Status.
Channel owners claim they were paid subscription fees by scammers
In April 2024, we reached out to some of the popular YouTube channels involved in the scam to ask them why they hosted the videos. Alda RecaldeIn January 2017, we contacted X via direct message to ask why the channel owner had recently removed or made private his library of fraudulent videos, to which the channel owner responded that “his contract had ended.”
In other words, the owner has shown us that he received money under contract to allow other users to promote their videos to the channel’s large subscriber base, who were not scammers but who originally subscribed to the channel because they were interested in the music video. This information tells us that the people appearing in the scam videos are most likely not the owners of the channel.
Snopes presented YouTube with evidence of the scam network in April. The evidence included detailed spreadsheets with information about dozens of channels and lengthy emails documenting extensive data about the scams. Essentially, we did a lot of research to help YouTube understand the extent of the scams. However, at the time, a YouTube spokesperson responded, “The channels featured by Snopes do not violate our policies and will remain on our platform.”
As of early July, many of the aforementioned channels and their scam videos remained publicly available to YouTube users. These videos also appear prominently in Google search results for people who may be searching for effective treatments for medical issues.
