Despite being notified twice by email by Snopes, Amazon Web Services (AWS) continues to host files associated with a fake celebrity endorsement scam involving CBD gummies and country music star Reba McEntire. McEntire has nothing to do with the scam as her image and likeness are being used without her permission. We previously presented two reports on the subject.
CBD and Keto Gummies Scams
For years, online CBD and keto oil and jelly bean scams have plagued the internet. These scams have led customers to order the products in the false belief that they work magic like a cure for dementia and diseases, and that one or more prominent celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and the cast of the television show “Shark Tank” had endorsed them.
In the past, we have located reports of customers being charged more than what was promised, according to them comments found under fake reviews (archived) and other sources. Customers also said they had difficulty contacting the companies involved to process a refund or return. For example, on order pages for CBD products and keto gummies, we’ve witnessed phone numbers mysteriously missing from specific places where they should appear in terms and conditions documents.
Here’s what AWS hosts
File types associated with the McEntire CBD Gummies scam hosted by Amazon include images (.jpg and .png), JavaScript (.js), and cascading style sheets (.css). Together, these files form some of the components of a fake article (archived) that was designed by scammers to look like FoxNews.com. The scammers appeared to have created the fake Fox News article as a sign of trust for users likely to believe it had some legitimacy. The article falsely claimed that McEntire endorsed CBD gummies as a “solution” to “reverse” dementia. Fox News had nothing to do with the scam.
This article was created by scammers to look like it came from FoxNews.com. Fox News actually had nothing to do with any of this. The scam may have originated in China, based on several indicators we found.
One of the files hosted by Amazon (archived) featured a fake Fox News headline about CBD gummies with McEntire sitting on the set of Andy Cohen’s Bravo TV show, “Watch What Happens Live.”
This was one of several images that were hosted in the fake article that the scammers created to look like it came from FoxNews.com.
Contacting Amazon PR
We first reached out to Amazon’s PR team via email on August 8th. A company spokesperson responded the same day and linked us to one page which detailed the acceptable use policies for AWS. The page also included a link where you could report content that violated the policies. However, the form on the page required some data that we didn’t have, so it couldn’t be submitted.
We then contacted Amazon via email a second time on August 12th. We expressed urgency about what this matter involved, saying these types of scams often target the elderly and disabled, based on the stories we’ve read. However, we did not receive a response for the next four days.
List of files hosted by AWS
Amazon hosts the following files for the McEntire CBD Jelly Bean Scam:
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/logo.png
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/links.png
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/mobile.png
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/share2.png
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/rebamain.jpg
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/rebainterview.jpg
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/330.jpg
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/331.jpg
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/km.jpg
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/d3.jpg
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/bottle/Natures%20One%20CBD%20Gummies.png
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/button.png
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/pp1.png
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/pp3.png
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/pp5.png
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/pp2.png
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/pp6.png
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/side1.jpg
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/side3.jpg
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/CBD/US/SS/Fox-Reba/translateelement.css
https://landingpagecache.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/disable-devtool.min.js
This story will be updated if we receive more details.
Sources:
“AWS Acceptable Use Policy”. Amazon Web Services, Inc., https://aws.amazon.com/aup/.
“Baypark CBD Gummies Reviews (Cost & Scam) Bay Park CBD Gummies Shark Tank”. Hometown Station | KHTS FM 98.1 & AM 1220, March 21, 2022, https://www.hometownstation.com/news-articles/baypark-cbd-gummies-reviews-cost-scam-bay-park-cbd-gummies-shark-tank – 410466.
“Cannabis, CBD Oil and Dementia”. Alzheimer Society,