Facebook users are repeatedly tagged for dubious status posts. Particularly trendy: Videos that show incredible weight loss success.

Behind these videos is so-called commercial fake news. A sales strategy for miracle pills, dubious products or even Bitcoin investments.

This is not only annoying, but can also lead to loss of money.

These are the following status posts with videos:

Screenshot by mimikama.org
Screenshot by mimikama.org

Hello dear group! I often see these advertisements for keto pills on Facebook and it says that this or that friend has been tagged by me, but I can't quite believe it... I find it annoying... What's wrong with these advertising promises (fat just melts away) and how can I avoid being mentioned in such advertising? Thanks!

The fact check

This post is a bait for so-called commercial fake news .

The images / videos / or the wording change again and again - but the model remains the same. The status report speaks of having achieved immense sales success with a certain miracle product.

[mk_ad]

A shortened link in the post leads to a website. The status contribution therefore serves as bait for an advertising model that takes place in three stages. The first stage is the bait itself, the second stage is the website, which pseudo-editorial content and repeatedly refers to the miracle product. The third stage is the exit – purchasing the remedy .

The website has the design of a serious news site, the content is fictitious. The creators only care that the reader follows the built-in links to the product, because these lead to an affiliate sales program . (More about this sales model here .)

One question still remains unanswered:

Why am I being shown such commercial fake news?

Unfortunately we cannot answer that. We recommend that any affected user change their password, all linked devices, and check installed Facebook applications to be on the safe side.

You should also delete apps that you no longer use and take a close look at all permissions. Here you can go directly to your apps .

Conclusion:

So it's a sales pitch. The creator of such fake news pages aims to get a reader to buy something via the built-in link - because that's how they earn money from it.

[mk_ad]

That's why it's important for him to make the fake story sound as credible as possible in advance and at the same time provoke a high level of virality.

Here again are the characteristics of such commercial fake news:

  • They contain pseudo-editorial content that has no truth.
  • They present themselves in the form of a news or news website - but ultimately they are not.
  • The content speaks to a desire and/or fear.
  • The author doesn't care about the content, it's all about effectively incorporating advertising links and getting the user to click on a link.


If you enjoyed this post and value the importance of well-founded information, become part of the exclusive Mimikama Club! Support our work and help us promote awareness and combat misinformation. As a club member you receive:

📬 Special Weekly Newsletter: Get exclusive content straight to your inbox.
🎥 Exclusive video* “Fact Checker Basic Course”: Learn from Andre Wolf how to recognize and combat misinformation.
📅 Early access to in-depth articles and fact checks: always be one step ahead.
📄 Bonus articles, just for you: Discover content you won't find anywhere else.
📝 Participation in webinars and workshops : Join us live or watch the recordings.
✔️ Quality exchange: Discuss safely in our comment function without trolls and bots.

Join us and become part of a community that stands for truth and clarity. Together we can make the world a little better!

* In this special course, Andre Wolf will teach you how to recognize and effectively combat misinformation. After completing the video, you have the opportunity to join our research team and actively participate in the education - an opportunity that is exclusively reserved for our club members!


Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )