‘Shark Tank’ Keto Gummies Weight Loss Reviews Are a Scam

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Shark Tank cast members buy keto gummies for weight loss.

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“Shark Tank” has never endorsed or invested in any CBD or keto gummies products. If readers are deceived by this, we recommend you to read this article in its entirety. We also encourage readers to bookmark or email this post to themselves, as we plan to update it in the future.

One online hoax that never seems to end is the lie of the cast of the TV show “Shark Tank” endorsing, investing in, or providing reviews of CBD gummies or keto gummies for weight loss.

For years, scammers have used the name “Shark Tank” to promote the false idea that the show's cast members invested in CBD gummies and keto gummies, even though the show never aired the episode. No one on Shark Tank has anything to do with CBD gummies or keto gummies.

In this story, we detail everything we know about these scams. We will also provide ways to fight back.

How the Shark Tank Keto Gummy Scam Works

Some readers may have seen scam ads for Shark Tank and keto gummies online, perhaps in Google search results or on Facebook or Instagram. Such advertisements also appear in emails, as shown below.

This ad for Royal Keto Gummies has a rather professional-looking design that may have misled a large number of users into thinking it was legitimate.

These ads lead to scam articles bearing the logos of major publishers. However, these articles are written by scammers and hosted on scam websites.

Here's how the seemingly legitimate article was created. Scammers copy the design of various news sites to trick potential victims into thinking they are reading a publisher's official page. In the past, scammers have copied and used article layouts from ABC News, Fox News, Us Weekly, Today, People Magazine, Time Magazine, and more.

USA TODAY never published the article. Also, “Emily Senstrom,” the person named “Top Harvard Medical Student” at the bottom of the image, does not exist.

These articles often purport to include Oprah Winfrey, Ray Drummond, Kelly Clarkson, Tom Selleck, Kelly Cuoco, Melissa McCarthy, Wayne Gretzky Various celebrities, including the Shark Tank actor, have endorsed CBD gummies or keto gummies, even though they have nothing to do with the product. Virtually every celebrity image and likeness is used without permission.

fake “review”

In addition to scam ads, we often see many fake CBD and keto gummies reviews using the “Shark Tank” name. However, these articles are not really reviews. They pay for product promotion in the form of sponsored content.

We do not recommend placing even the slightest trust in fraudulent sponsored content articles.

Outlook India, Tribune India, Mid-Day.com, and others appear to be taking money in exchange for sponsored content articles titled “Shark Tank” and a number of different CBD and keto gummies product names.

“Operations Center” in Smyrna, Tennessee

In recent months, our reporters have heard from users who say they've received bags (rather than boxes) of CBD or keto gummies products at their doorstep, even though they don't remember ordering them. Some also said their credit cards were not charged. It's unclear why people who didn't order or pay for the products received the products in the mail.

Many of these users said the return address on the package was an unnamed “distribution center” with PO boxes in Smyrna, Tennessee, Tampa, Fla., or Las Vegas, Nevada.

Typing “fulfillment center” (without the quotes) into Google shows “fulfillment center smyrna tn” as the first search suggestion, which may indicate how many people have sought help after being scammed. Unfortunately, no further details on the addresses of these “fulfillment centers” were available at the time of publication. It's unclear if anyone associated with the mailboxes or locations knew of or participated in the scams.

Missing phone numbers and unexpected charges

In the past, reporters noticed that new product names of CBD chewing gum and ketogenic chewing gum popped up from time to time without any parent company or other brand identity, as if these details were intentionally left out. Many of these products are likely to be the same, only renamed after the previous product name received negative feedback.

We have also noticed that the phone numbers on some product order pages for CBD and keto gummies are frequently missing or disconnected. Calls to any work number will go to a generic no-name customer service line. In those calls, the people on the other end declined to name the companies they worked for or provide any information about the names of the apparent call centers.

Another aspect of the “Shark Tank” CBD gummies and keto gummies scam, as well as scams using other celebrity images and likenesses, is that many users have told us they thought they would be charged about $40 for their order, but ended up being charged Nearly $200. As far as we know, this information may appear in the fine print of the terms and conditions, but is not mentioned at all on the product checkout page.

After having difficulty getting a phone line for the product they ordered, users keep telling us they're getting a 50% refund, apparently as part of a call center script.

Mark Cuban tweeted about the scams

In 2022, “Shark Tank” cast member Mark Cuban tweeted about the seemingly never-ending keto jellyfish scam, slamming tech platforms for continuing to accept scammers money to allow ads promoting these scams.

“Does anyone really think ketogenics work?” Cuban asked. “Why would anyone shoot an ad for them with or without a false endorsement? Where is the content filtering we hear so often? If a platform can’t detect fake keto or CBD gummies ads, can they really detect any Stuff? Or can they detect it? Don't care that most seniors are ripped off!”

The official Shark Tank website on ABC.com also once posted a page about scammers using the show's name without authorization.

“The Internet is littered with advertisements for products purportedly endorsed by ‘Shark Tank' or Team Sharks,” the page reads. “Many merchants are using the show's and the shark's name and imagery to sell their products. Unfortunately, with every episode, there is an opportunity for impostors to take advantage of the unwary with false information. While many products claim Already in Shark Tank, that wasn't always the case.”

Clint Eastwood wins court case

No story about the fudge scam would be complete without including two past court cases.

In 2021, famed film actor and director Clint Eastwood won a $6.1 million lawsuit alleging that a Lithuanian company used his image and likeness without permission to promote CBD products.

The following year, Eastwood won another lawsuit, also related to CBD promotion. That time, he won $2 million. Marijuana Law reports that the lawsuit was filed against “Los Angeles-based Norok Innovation Inc. and its CEO, Eric Popowicz.”

How to Fight Scams

If you believe you have been the victim of fraud, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) allows users to file a report.

Also, if readers come across one of the scam articles claiming that Shark Tank or other big-name celebrities are endorsing ketogenic gummies, or spot a product order page that is believed to be a scam, they can report the URL of the domain name to its registrar. Just go to godaddy.com/whois and enter the URL. This form will display domain registration information for the website. Look for “Registrar Abuse Contact Email” and “Registrar Abuse Contact Number” to report the site to a company that allows it to be registered.

future update

We've frequently reported on these scams involving the “Shark Tank” name in recent years. We will continue to bring readers further coverage on this topic in the future.

If any readers get scammed, we recommend bookmarking this page or emailing it to yourself so you can revisit it in the future to see more updates, as we do plan to add additional information as it becomes available.