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Multiple Facebook accounts have run advertisements for over a month on the platform luring in users with the promise of a juicy story about actress and "Jeopardy!" host Mayim Bialik, only to deceptively link to a bait-and-switch attempt to sell CBD gummies.
The ads have been prevalent enough that Bialik referenced the posts in a March 21 post to Instagram, where she denied involvement, writing that the ads looked "very authentic" but were "indeed a hoax."
"I am not selling CBD gummies of any kind and do not plan to do so at any point in the future," Bialik said in the Instagram post. "I have tried to get this removed to no avail. It's not real."
Weeks later, similar advertisements persisted on Facebook.
Insider saw one such advertisement on April 14. The sponsored post was made by an account that appeared to be for a photographer. When the account was contacted via Facebook by Insider, the administrator of the page said they had been hacked and were unsure how to stop the sponsored posts from running.
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The sponsored post from the account said: "Jeopardy fans are up in arms over the allegations pending against Mayim Bialik. Here is all the information available to the public at this moment."
The post featured a photo of the "Jeopardy!" set with a photo of Bialik edited in the foreground. Bialik was holding a white piece of paper with the words "We Say Goodbye" written on it.
Similar language has been used in other advertisements spread by other Facebook accounts. One such post shared in an article by Snopes on April 8 used the same exact language about Bialik. On March 13, screenshots from a similar Facebook advertisement were shared on Twitter.
Facebook did not respond to Insider's request for comment sent Friday. According to company policies, misleading advertisements are banned from running on Facebook.
"Ads must not contain deceptive, false, or misleading claims like those relating to the effectiveness or characteristics of a product or service, including misleading health, employment or weight-loss claims that set unrealistic expectations for users," according to the policy.
The post seen by Insider last week included a link to a website with a headline that read "Allegation Against Mayim Bialik Have Been Confirmed," however the post's URL preview showed "WALGREENS.COM" and its preview text was about nail polish.
When the link was clicked, it instead opened an article that appeared to be on a website made to make users believe they were reading an article on FoxNews.com.
The article was titled "Mayim Bialik reverses dementia solution sparks huge lawsuit pressure on Fox, she finally fights back on air," and the post said it was authored by Fox News journalist Brit Hume.
A representative for Fox News told Insider the article was fake and that the network had contacted Facebook to have the ads running it removed from the platform.
The text of the article was entirely about CBD gummies from a brand called Smilz. Smilz did not return Insider's request for comment about the advertisements.
The article claimed Bialik was feuding with Fox News personality Martha MacCallum because Bialik had announced a line of CBD gummies on "Live TV," which is entirely false. A fake quote attributed to Bialik claimed the actress believed MacCallum was interested in coming after Bialik's "timeslot," but Bialik does not have a show on Fox News.
Bialik hosts the syndicated "Jeopardy!" and she appears as the titular character "Kat" in the Fox scripted sitcom "Call Me Kat." She is most known for appearing on the long-running CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory."
Representatives for Bialik did not immediately provide comment to Insider.
Bialik appeared to address the advertisements again in an April 15 video posted to Twitter, telling followers any of her advertisements would be clearly labeled with #ad or #sponsored.
—Mayim Bialik (@missmayim) April 16, 2022
"Please do not take anything too seriously," she said. "Places are getting a lot more clever about making things look like they are real news stories when they are not."
The article also made numerous claims about the gummies, including supposed testimonials from those who have used the gummies and had results treating diseases, including dementia.
There is no evidence that CBD products can reverse dementia, according to Healthline, a disease for which there is no known cure.
The fake article also claimed that Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson had endorsed Bialik's gummies, claiming that Carlson said they had "completely changed his life."
Carlson never made any such statement.
