Agencies target deceptive coronavirus advertising

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials have forwarded warning correspondence to seven companies for allegedly selling unapproved products that include deceptive coronavirus claims.

“There already is a high level of anxiety over the potential spread of coronavirus,” FTC Chairman Joe Simons said. “What we don’t need in this situation are companies preying on consumers by promoting products with fraudulent prevention and treatment claims. These warning letters are just the first step. We’re prepared to take enforcement actions against companies that continue to market this type of scam.”

The companies, Vital Silver, Quinessence Aromatherapy Ltd., N-ergetics, GuruNanda, LLC, Vivify Holistic Clinic, Herbal Amy LLC, and The Jim Bakker Show, may violate federal law by making deceptive or scientifically unsupported claims about their ability to treat coronavirus (COVID-19).

“The FDA considers the sale and promotion of fraudulent COVID-19 products to be a threat to the public health,” FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn said. “We have an aggressive surveillance program that routinely monitors online sources for health fraud products, especially during a significant public health issue such as this one. The FDA’s laws are designed to protect the public health by ensuring, among other things, that drugs are safe and effective for their intended uses.”

The letters stipulate if the false claims do not cease, the Commission may seek a federal court injunction and an order requiring money to be refunded to consumers.

The agencies instruct the recipients to notify the FTC within 48 hours of the specific actions they have taken to address the agency’s concerns.