On May 19, 2024, Meta approved an ad promoting a false claim that Dana Perino, the former White House Press Secretary and current co-host of The Five on Fox News,
was leaving the show due to tensions with fellow Fox host Sean Hannity and a purported lawsuit involving the network.
The ad, which appeared on Facebook and Instagram, falsely suggested that Perino’s departure was tied to her recent business venture, a line of CBD gummies.
The misleading ad, which appeared in both right-column and news feed formats,
was designed to grab attention with headlines such as “It’s Official: We Say Farewell to Dana Perino” and “A Sad End to a Brilliant Career.”
The clickbait headlines falsely indicated that Perino had left The Five under dramatic circumstances,
claiming that tensions with Hannity and a lawsuit were at the heart of her exit.
In reality, Dana Perino was not leaving the show, nor was she involved in any scandal with Sean Hannity. There was no lawsuit against Fox News, and the claims about Perino’s business venture were entirely fabricated. The ads were part of a larger scam that directed users to an article on the website freshdailydrive.com, which linked to a suspicious URL (falcondownholesolutions.com) before leading to the false content.
The article, titled “Dana Perino Leaves The Five and Sparks Major Lawsuit Against Fox: Her Response on Air,” suggested that Perino had created a product called Fortin CBD Gummies, which allegedly “reversed dementia” and clashed with Hannity’s sponsors. It claimed that Hannity was furious about the product, which allegedly violated his contract and led to sponsors pulling their support from Fox. The scam article presented this as the cause of Perino’s supposed departure from The Five.
The content in the article was completely false. It was structured to imitate the look and feel of a legitimate Fox News story, likely in an attempt to deceive readers into believing it was real. The fabricated interview with Dana Perino purportedly had her discussing her CBD product, Fortin CBD Gummies, which was said to be a groundbreaking solution for a variety of health issues. The article also claimed that Perino’s product was “90% cheaper” and “five times more effective” than competing products from large pharmaceutical companies, which is another blatant fabrication.
Despite the sensational claims, there is no evidence to support any of these assertions. Dana Perino has no involvement in a CBD product or any related business venture, and there is no evidence that she and Sean Hannity are at odds over such issues. In fact, the article’s claim that Hannity was suing Perino for violating his contract and causing sponsors to pull their support is entirely baseless. There are no public records of such a lawsuit or tensions between the two Fox News hosts.
The ad campaign was a scam designed to trick users into clicking on a fake article and potentially exposing them to harmful or misleading content. Similar scams have previously targeted users with fake endorsements of CBD products and other health-related supplements, often using the names of well-known public figures to lend credibility to their claims.
To further manipulate readers, the article falsely claimed that other Fox News hosts, including Jesse Watters, were supporting Perino’s CBD line, a claim that has no basis in reality. In fact, there is no known endorsement of these so-called “miracle” CBD gummies by any celebrity, including Dana Perino or any of her colleagues at Fox News.
The fraudulent article also misrepresented medical claims regarding CBD products. For instance, it suggested that Fortin CBD Gummies could reverse dementia, a claim that contradicts established scientific knowledge. According to the British Alzheimer’s Society, there is no evidence that cannabis or CBD oil can stop, slow, reverse, or prevent the diseases that cause dementia. These kinds of baseless claims have been debunked by experts in the medical community and should be treated with skepticism.
This incident highlights the growing problem of online scams using social media platforms to mislead users with fake news and fraudulent products. It’s important for users to be cautious when clicking on sensational ads or articles, especially those that seem to promise health miracles or claim celebrity endorsements without reliable evidence. Meta has since removed the misleading ads, but this serves as a reminder of the importance of verifying information and being mindful of deceptive online marketing tactics.
In conclusion, Dana Perino is not leaving The Five, and there is no tension with Sean Hannity or any lawsuit involving Fox News. The misleading ads on Meta platforms that made these false claims were part of a scam aimed at exploiting users’ trust. As always, it’s crucial to verify the credibility of any claims before sharing or acting on them, particularly when they involve health products or celebrity endorsements.
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