FTC Files Complaints Against Affiliate Marketers of Acai Berry

The Federal Trade Commission announced today that it is seeking to take action against 10 online affiliate marketers of acai berry products. The FTC alleges that the marketers have been using fake news blogs, which often included links to and logos of legitimate new organizations, as a way of "...enticing consumers to buy the featured acai berry weight-loss products from other merchants." According to the FTC, even the comments posted in response to "blog" posts were fake and purportedly written by the marketers themselves.

The ads in question (“Acai Berry Diet Exposed: Miracle Diet or Scam?”) were featured prominently on popular websites. The marketers spent more than $10 million in placing the ads on these sites, but the FTC believes the commissions more than made up for the cost.

For more details, see the FTC's press release: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2011/04/fakenews.shtm