Wall of Shame

Shameful Act:

Telling consumers that Verizon lets them trade in their old, busted or broken phone for “a shiny new one” as a spokesperson for the carrier, while fine print discloses, “Trade-in offer excludes phones with battery damage.” As you might suspect, battery damage is one of the most common types of cellphone damage.

Penalty:

After a reader complained, TINA.org published an article alerting others to the terms of the trade-in offer buried in the commercial’s fine print (which also notes that “[i]n times of congestion, your data may be temporarily slower than other traffic,” even if you have a so-called “unlimited” plan).

Where is she now:

In addition to her duties as an SNL cast member, McKinnon is playing Carole Baskin in a limited series, “Joe vs. Carole,” released nearly two years after pandemic sensation “Tiger King.”

Shameful Act:

Looking consumers in the eye and telling them that they’re going to “win big cash prizes up to $10,000” as a spokesperson for HealthyWager, a site that offers cash prizes for meeting weight-loss goals that participants bet on, while fine print notes that, “The number of people who lose their HealthyWager is greater than the number who win.”

Penalty:

TINA.org exposed the fitness guru’s lies in an ad alert. (The ad alert also noted how HealthyWager includes participants’ initial bet in its cash prize calculations to claim that they “won” hundreds to thousands of dollars, when in reality one of the winners barely broke even after wagering nearly $2,000.)

Where is she now:

Moving on from her time as a tough-love trainer on the reality weight-loss show “The Biggest Loser.”

Shameful Act:

Telling older homeowners they can trust American Advisors Group (AAG), the nation’s largest reverse mortgage lender, in TV ads in which he appears as a paid spokesman. In truth, the company hasn’t always been straightforward with consumers.

Penalty:

Nothing yet for the former “Magnum, P.I.” star. But, in October 2021, AAG agreed to pay $1.1 million to settle claims it provided consumers with inflated estimates of home values to entice them to enter into negotiations to open reverse mortgages. Previously, the company was cited for falsely claiming consumers could not lose their homes.

Where is he now:

Still rocking one of the most iconic mustaches in the biz.

Shameful Act:

Promoting a number of unproven products on his podcast, the Joe Rogan Experience, including a chewing gum marketed to enhance cognitive function and a CBD cream that Rogan claims helps fight inflammation and promote sleep.

Penalty:

On the contrary, Rogan recently inked a $100 million broadcasting deal with Spotify.

Where is he now:

Contemplating a lawsuit against CNN for saying he was taking a horse dewormer to treat his COVID-19 after he said he was taking a horse dewormer to treat his COVID-19.

Shameful Act:

Using her neuroscientist credentials and “Big Bang Theory” star power to promote the brain supplement Neuriva as being “backed by real science” and “vetted by a real neuroscientist,” with “clinically tested” ingredients. In reality, Neuriva’s health claims are not supported by reliable scientific studies and are misleading. (In fact, the company responsible for marketing Neuriva is trying to resolve deceptive advertising allegations. Click here to find out why a proposed class-action settlement is unfair for consumers and why TINA.org is advocating for changes.)

Penalty:

What is … not much of a penalty at all? While Bialik has faced criticism over her promotion of Neuriva, “Jeopardy!” announced in December 2021 that she would continue to split hosting duties with record-setting champion Ken Jennings into the new year.

Where is she now:

In addition to reading clues on “Jeopardy!” welcoming listeners to her podcast, Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown, which is aimed at breaking down “misinformation and myths” about mental health.

Shameful Acts:

Getting paid to promote a phony diabetes cure. More recently, spamming parents with scary and misleading emails about the domestic threat of socialism to get them to sign up for a kids guide that is falsely marketed as “free.”

Penalty:

During the 2016 presidential campaign, then-candidate Huckabee faced criticism over his former role as a paid spokesman for the Diabetes Solution Kit, telling “Face the Nation” host Bob Schieffer “I don’t have to defend everything that I’ve ever done.”

Where is he now:

Going, going, back, back, to … Arkansas.

Shameful Acts:

Debuting an “immunity supplement” under his wellness brand TB12 in the middle of a pandemic “to stay healthy, strong and resilient for whatever comes your way.” (Also, attempting to steal the nickname “Tom Terrific” from New York Mets pitching legend Tom Seaver, but Brady says he’s learned his lesson there.)

Penalty:

Zilch, apart from some medical experts calling out the timing of the release, in May 2020.

Where is he now:

Much to the dismay of Patriots fans, whose team missed the playoffs for the first time in 12 years after Brady left, Tom now plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Shameful Acts:

As a partner and celebrity promoter for Snow Teeth Whitening, Gronk attached his name to a company that TINA.org found making unauthorized use of the FDA’s logo in 2019.

Penalty:

Tom Brady’s favorite target on the football field is now one of the targets of a class-action lawsuit challenging claims that Snow’s products provide various teeth-whitening benefits, protect against COVID-19 and have been approved by the FDA.

Where is he now:

Doing Gronk things in Florida, where he has reunited with Brady as teammates on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Shameful Acts:

Fifty years after famously guaranteeing his team’s victory in Super Bowl III, the New York Jets legend now promises that Medicare recipients can get the benefits they deserve by calling the Medicare Coverage Helpline, for which he is a paid spokesman. In fact, there’s no guarantee that the benefits will be available in a caller’s region. Also, the helpline is less a government hotline that helps Medicare recipients get coverage than a “for-profit lead generation campaign” that sells callers’ information to licensed insurance agents, according to fine print in TV commercials featuring “Broadway Joe.”

Penalty:

No flags thrown on the Hall-of-Fame QB – yet.

Where is he now:

Splitting time between misleading consumers on the benefits the “helpline” offers and Jets fans on the prospects of a return to relevance.

Shameful Acts:

Promoting his Silver Solution supplement on his show as a cure for SARS, HIV and the coronavirus. (Previously, conspiring to defraud the public and running mail and wire frauds behind the cover of Praise the Lord Ministries.)

Penalty:

A warning from the FTC and FDA and a cease-and-desist letter from the New York attorney general. His previous misdeeds earned him a 5-year stint in federal prison in the 90s.

Where is he now:

Recovering from a “broken heart” after suspending sales of his Silver Solution, which failed to make him immune to the law.

Shameful Act:

Who better to promote your initial coin offering (ICO) than the man they call Money? Three cryptocurrency companies apparently all had the same idea when they asked retired champion boxer Floyd “Money” Mayweather to tout their ICOs on social media. Mayweather scrutinized the strengths and weaknesses of each ICO and based on the data picked the one with the best chance of success. Just kidding. He said yes to them all (including one, Centra Tech, that was later exposed as a fraud by the SEC), pocketed a total of $300,000 and promoted the ICOs without disclosing any of the payments he received.

Penalty:

The SEC hit Mayweather with a left hook that emptied more than $600,000 from his bank account, a drop in the (spit) bucket considering the more than $1 billion in career earnings that Money is reported to have made boxing.

Where is he now:

Boxing kickboxers in retirement, apparently.

Shameful Acts:

The King of Snapchat was paid $50,000 by cryptocurrency company Centra Tech to “Bless Up” its initial coin offering (ICO) on social media. Not only did Khaled promote the company’s bogus debit card but he failed to mention he was being paid to do it. Maybe it was the booze talking as Khaled also promoted multiple alcohol brands on social media without letting his young following know that “blue dot pon ya head top” was actually just an ad.

Penalty:

DJ Khaled didn’t have the key to elude an SEC fine for his endorsement of Centra Tech, and was forced to pay more than $150,000. Additionally, after TINA.org outed more than 300 of Khaled’s undisclosed alcohol ads, he “took the top off the Maybach” and removed all the posts.

Where is he now:

Presumably sitting down to a bowl of Ciroc Toast Crunch and not posting about it.

Shameful Act:

The rapper formerly known as Puff Daddy and then P. Diddy before he dropped the “P” for just Diddy had a bigger problem than letting people know what he’d like to be called that month. As the head of marketing for Ciroc, Diddy found himself at the center of a TINA.org probe into the influencer marketing of the vodka and brandy brand. And the findings were not good for the founder of Bad Boy Records: more than 1,700 undisclosed Ciroc ads on Instagram in violation of FTC law. Some of these ads even featured minors and, um, strange imagery.

Penalty:

Given the repeat offender status of Ciroc’s parent company, Diageo, TINA.org filed a complaint against the liquor giant with the FTC. For his part, within a week of being notified of TINA.org’s findings, Diddy deleted every one of his more than 600 undisclosed Ciroc ads. (Sorry, ladies, you’ll now have to go elsewhere to get Diddy’s advice on wearing open-toed shoes.)

Where is he now:

Likely thinking up more aliases to further confuse his fans.

Shameful Act:

Running multilevel marketing companies that twice landed him legal battles with the FTC. The first time, the FTC took him to task for inappropriate health claims tied to a New Vison supplement billed as a cure for ADHD referred to as “God’s Recipe.” The FTC labeled his next MLM venture, Vemma, which sold an energy drink called Verve, a pyramid scheme.

Penalty:

In a court settlement reached in 2016, Boreyko is banned from promoting any business ventures that, among other things, pays any compensation to members for recruiting new participants and from making deceptive income claims and unsubstantiated health claims.

Where is he now:

Still promoting Verve, only now he’s doing it for another MLM called Bode Pro. Third time’s a charm?

Shameful Act:

The actress finds herself on TINA.org’s radar for claiming (without proper scientific evidence) that products from her Goop health and lifestyle line can treat a variety of diseases. From crystals for treating infertility to perfume for alleviating anxiety, illegal health claims abound on the Goop website.

Penalty:

TINA.org reported these findings to the California Food Drug and Medical Device Task Force. In September 2018, the task force reached a settlement with Goop that resulted in a $145,000 penalty and a ban on making deceptive health claims in the future.

Where is she now:

Still living and working in La-La Land.

Shameful Act:

Kept consumers up at night with a number of puffed-up claims for MyPillow, including, at one point, touting the pillow as a cure-all without the appropriate scientific evidence required by law and pushing a deceptive BOGO sale.

Penalty:

In October 2016, the MyPillow founder and CEO agreed to pay more than $1 million to settle a deceptive advertising lawsuit brought by consumer protection officials in California who were aided by TINA.org’s own investigation into MyPillow. Not long after, MyPillow flunked out of the BBB.

Where is he now:

Hugging his pillow tight.

Shameful Act:

More than 100 sponsored Instagram posts by the Kardashian/Jenner sisters, who have millions of followers, that were not marked as ads, as required by federal law.

Penalty:

A TINA.org complaint to the FTC and lots of bad press for the reality TV stars that Cosmo dubbed “America’s First Family.”

Where are they now:

Still making bank by plugging products on social media sites.

Shameful Act:

The Almost Famous actress has angered hundreds of consumers who have found it impossible to cancel their monthly subscription to Fabletics, an athletic-wear company Hudson co-founded in 2013. Unable to cancel, shoppers are saddled with charges for additional clothing they never wanted delivered.

Penalty:

Tons of bad press for the starlet.

Where is she now:

Despite the naysayers, Hudson and her company continue to thrive, reporting sales of $159 million in 2020. Clearly, she is not sweating it.

Shameful Act:

The self-proclaimed nutrition expert with questionable degrees appeared on Dr. Oz, The View and other shows touting green coffee bean extract as a weight-loss miracle. He made millions by using the Oz Effect to sell it and other questionable supplement products through his own companies. The scientific studies he used to promote the supplement were later found to be seriously flawed.

Penalty:

He, along with his companies, Genesis Today and Pure Health, have to refund customers $9 million and can no longer make any claims about supplements or drugs in the future that aren’t backed by two well-controlled human clinical trials.

Where is he now:

Behind the curtain with Dr. Oz wondering if the miracle pills they shill will get them out of this jam.

Shameful Act:

Peddling Miracle Mineral Supplement drops through various websites as a treatment for cancer, AIDS, kidney disease and “lots of other ailments.” Turns out the miracle ingredient is sodium chlorite, an industrial chemical used in pesticides and for hydraulic fracturing that is illegal to sell for human consumption. Even worse, Smith advised customers, including pregnant women, to mix it with citric acid, creating a chemical used to bleach textiles.

Penalty:

Smith was sentenced to 51 months in jail by a federal court for introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud or mislead, smuggling and conspiracy.

Where is he now:

Smith is now a free and (hopefully) rehabilitated man.

Shameful Act:

Allegedly bilking millions of dollars from people who attended his eponymous for-profit Trump University by engaging in an aggressive upselling scheme and then failing to deliver on promises made in advertising that students would learn his real estate secrets.

Penalty:

Agreed to pay out $25 million to settle fraud allegations against the defunct Trump University.

Where is he now:

After becoming president of the United States and facing a whole new set of ethical and legal scrutiny about using his position as Influencer-in-Chief to promote his businesses, Trump has returned to Mar-a-Lago — for now.

Shameful Act:

Willms was deemed the “Dark Lord of the Internet” by the Atlantic in 2013 for his many suspicious Internet ads offering “free trials” that turn into negative-option offers and have hit consumers’ credit cards for hundreds of millions of dollars in unwanted charges. Willms got his start re-selling pirated Microsoft software over the Internet as a teenager before creating a marketing empire selling weight-loss supplements, colon cleansers, and teeth-whiteners with suspicious claims and surprise charges.

Penalty:

The FTC banned Willms from using negative-option offers in his marketing in 2012, and imposed a judgement of $359 million that was suspended upon Willms surrendering bank-account funds and the proceeds from the sale of his house, personal property, and corporate assets, including a $30,000 fish tank and a $12,000 fur coat. Willms had previously settled with Microsoft in 2006, agreeing to a six-figure settlement, to surrender three cars, and to never sell Microsoft products again.

Where is he now:

Willms is now pitching vehicle history reports on the sites carhistory.us.org, dmv.us.org, vehiclehistory.com, and vehiclehistoryrecord.com, probably on his way to another lawsuit, another settlement, and then his next scheme.

Shameful Act:

Everyone’s favorite Jersey Shore washup, Snooki fell back into the limelight with her shocking weight loss transformation. But how did she do it? Snooki endorsed a product named Zantrex in poorly filmed commercials and her own social media outlets. Zantrex promises “Rapid Fat Loss” and “Incredible Energy.”

Penalty:

A class-action lawsuit was brought against the makers of Zantrex for false advertising claims. One of the defendants named is none other then Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi. (The case was voluntarily dismissed in 2016, the reasons for which were not disclosed.)

Where is she now:

Causing a lot of meatball drama.

Shameful Act:

Jenny McCarthy has a lot on her plate. Playing the role of sacked television host, Vemma endorser, and president of an anti-vaccine group could be quite demanding. But she doesn’t stop there, and adds to the list with another unfortunate endorsement. Using her model resume, she’s selling Blu eCigs and gets to have a smoke “without the guilt.”

Penalty:

Maybe all this was to blame for her getting fired from the View? A Senate hearing brought up the images of Jenny McCarthy as an example of a marketing tactic to teenagers. Shockingly it seems as if the ads have disappeared.

Where is she now:

Probably thinking up her outfit for her next sketchy product endorsement.

Shameful Act:

America’s favorite TV doctor has been under scrutiny for touting benefits of a myriad of questionable “miracle” products. TINA.org also questions his cozy relationship with Vemma, an Arizona-based dietary supplement company facing pyramid scheme charges in a court case filed by the FTC.

Penalty:

The tide may be turning against Oz. In 2014, he faced a Congressional subcommittee that grilled him on weight-loss substances he shilled as miracles on his show and a study published by the British Medical Journal found that medical research doesn’t support half of Dr. Oz’s recommendations. Members of the media (well, some journalists anyway) and late-night comedians are also pulling back the curtain on his antics.

Where is he now: 

Still in the magical land of Oz making sketchy health claims.

Shameful Act:

In 2002-2003, Barrett began airing infomercials for supplements such as Coral Calcium and Supreme Greens, billing the latter as a cure for multiple diseases, including cancer.

Penalty:

FTC sued Barrett for making false claims about Supreme Greens and Coral Calcium, and in October 2010, a federal appeals court upheld a $48.2 million award against Barrett. In May 2011, Barrett pleaded guilty to one count each of subscribing to a false tax return and misbranding Supreme Greens for the prevention of cancer and arthritis without FDA approval. He was sentenced to one year of probation.

Where is he now:

He likely still has a hand in infomercials. His LinkedIn page says he is executive producer for HomeShopping Europe.

Shameful Act:

In 2001 and 2002, Khubani ran infomercials for the Ab Force belt, an exercise contraption that purportedly used electrical impulses to help the wearer shape up and lose weight. He sold more than 700,000 belts, with gross sales exceeding $19 million.

Penalty:

The FTC stepped in with a complaint in 2003 to stop what it said were false claims about the belt’s effectiveness. Khubani fought the FTC charges for more than five years, finally agreeing in 2009 to a $7 million settlement. It wasn’t the first time Khubani had run into trouble: He paid more than $900,000 in the 1990s to settle charges that he made false claims about an antenna and hearing aid he sold, and for failing to provide refunds, cancel purchases, and ship products on time.

Where is he now:

Still selling things on TV.

Shameful Act:

Claiming to be affiliated with a government agency, Phil sent over 5 million illegal spam text messages in a 40-day period according to a 2011 FTC complaint. The texts promised to help home owners with loan modifications and anyone who responded, even to say “Stop texting me,” had their information forwarded to marketers.

In 2014, the FTC found that Phil was back to his old tricks. Turns out that he sent more than 29 million spam text messages promising “free” Walmart and Best Buy gift cards.

Penalty:

In 2011, Phil settled with the FTC for $32,000 and was permanently banned from sending spam text messages. Apparently, the permanent ban didn’t mean much to Phil.  In May 2014, he was found to be in civil contempt of the 2011 order and has been ordered to pay $148,309 for his latest scam.

Where is he now:

Texting in Huntington Beach, CA.

Shameful Act:

Continuing to endorse Dannon after the company had Curtis mislead consumers in its Activia commercials. The FTC made clear that “[i]n truth and in fact, eating one serving of Activia daily is not clinically proven to relieve temporary irregularity and help with slow intestinal transit time.” Dannon paid the FTC $21 million for the false claims made to consumers in Curtis’ ads.

Penalty: 

For Curtis? None whatsoever.

Where is she now:

After selling Activia yogurt for seven years, Curtis has moved on to bigger and better things, such as reminding people on Twitter that she sold Activia yogurt for seven years.

Shameful Act:

While masterminding the largest Ponzi scheme in history, Madoff stole the life savings of thousands of investors.

Penalty:

In 2009, he was sentenced to 150 years in prison for what the judge called an “extraordinarily evil” fraud.

Where is he now:

Twelve years into his sentence, Madoff died in April 2021.

Shameful Act: 

Where to start? First, Dr. Jarvik has never been a practicing physician, but that doesn’t stop him from offering medical advice in the Lipitor ads. Second, those scenes of him rowing on that pristine mountain lake? Yeah, that’s not him, it’s a another man, who can actually row and probably doesn’t need Lipitor.

Penalty: 

None for Robert. He pocketed a cool $1.35 million for the Lipitor commercials. As for Pfizer, the maker of Lipitor, it had to pull the ads after a congressional committee raised questions about the Jarvik commercials.

Where is he now:

Not rowing on a lake, that’s for sure.

Shameful Act:

Oh, there are so many. Montel is the pitchman for a variety of questionable products, including Tommie Copper, the maker of copper-infused compression clothing that claims you will feel better and live positively if you wear the clothes. He is also a spokesman for Lifelock, which promises to relentlessly protect your identity by charging a fee for many services you can actually get for free. Montel also helped market online lender MoneyMutual, which was ordered in March 2015 to pay a $2.1 million penalty and shut down its high-interest payday loan activities in New York after a government investigation. The probe also resulted in Montel having to withdraw his endorsement.

Penalty:

Williams has been named in a class-action lawsuit against MoneyMutual for allegedly aiding the loan schemes.

Where is he now:

Maybe trying to commune with Sylvia Browne, a psychic some called a con artist, he regularly hosted on his show before she passed away in November 2013.

Shameful Act:

Penélope Cruz is a beautiful woman but perhaps lacking in principle. In her ads for L’Oréal’s Telescopic mascara, Cruz promises, “Lashes that could reach to the stars.” What Ms. Cruz fails to disclose is that she is wearing falsies, that is, eyelash inserts. Well, that’s just plain wrong – not to mention deceptive.

Penalty:

The Advertising Standards Authority of Great Britain found the ads misleading and ordered L’Oréal to disclose the use of false lashes in the future.

Where is she now:

Obviously Penélope’s not reaching the stars with her own lashes.

Shameful Acts:

Pitching a Quick Trim weight-loss products whose claims were not backed up by scientific studies. Failing to mention any side effects of a morning sickness drug, Diclegis, that she was paid by drug maker Duschesnay to tout on Instagram. Failing to label other Instagram posts for a variety of items, such as Lumee and Secret Closet, as ads.

Penalty:

A warning from the FDA to Duschesnay on the Diclegis posts and a complaint letter from TINA.org to the FTC regarding the lack of disclosure of more than 20 posts that should have been labeled #ads.

Where is she now:

Where isn’t she?

Shameful Act:

In 2004, Trudeau was permanently prohibited from making infomercials – the one exception — to promote books if he did so without misrepresenting the content of the book.  That honesty requirement was just too hard for this ex-felon to follow. His latest shameful act involves violating an FTC consent order 32,000 times by deceptively marketing his book, The Weight Loss Cure “They” Don’t Want You to Know About, in infomercials.

Penalty:

Trudeau was ordered to pay $37.6 million to the FTC, which then returned $6 million to consumers to reimburse those who purchased his diet book. If Trudeau wants to make another infomercial about a book, he’ll also have to pony up a $2 million performance bond.

Where is he now:

In jail, after a jury found Trudeau guilty of criminal contempt and sentenced him to 10 years for making deceptive claims about his weight-loss book. The FTC has also called Trudeau’s Global Information Network a pyramid scheme.

Shameful Act: 

According to Fiat, its commercial of J Lo shows her “driving a Fiat 500 Cabrio as she travels through the streets of Manhattan to the Bronx where she grew up.” Only problem is that it isn’t J Lo driving around in the Bronx but some J Lo look-a-like. Ms. Lopez shot her scenes in LA.

Penalty:

We’ll have to see what Karma has in store for her.

Where is she now:

No doubt, she’s in LA.

Shameful act:

Peter Popoff is self-proclaimed faith healer and prophet. He rose to prominence in the 1980s by preaching the “gospel of prosperity” on TV, promising cash rewards directly from God to his supporters. In 1987, James Randi, a stage magician and skeptic, exposed Popoff as a fraud, demonstrating how he used a radio earpiece to receive information from his wife gleaned from prayer cards to deceive people into thinking he could somehow divine secret information about them out of thin air.

Penalty:

After Randi’s exposé aired on The Tonight Show, Popoff lost most of his supporters and had to file for bankruptcy.

Where is he now:

By the late 1990s, Popoff recovered and started preaching impossible financial and medical miracles again, this time targeting the black community. Popoff continues to preach and sell miracle products on the BET network and through the mail to this day.

Shameful Act:

Doctoring a photo of model Filippa Hamilton in 2009 to make her waist appear smaller than her head in an advertisement for Blue Label jeans. (In reality, she’s a size 8.)

Penalty:

None, but according to a spokesman for Ralph Lauren, “we have learned that we are responsible for the poor imaging and retouching that resulted in a very distorted image of a woman’s body. We have addressed the problem and going forward will take every precaution to ensure that the caliber of our artwork represents our brand appropriately.”

Where is he now:

Painting?

Shameful Act:

Selling America on a diabetic-inducing diet and not telling them the health risks associated with such a diet; then pimping a $500-a-month diabetic drug they’ll need to take after consuming a steady Deen diet.

Penalty:

A scary illness: Ms. Deen has type 2 diabetes, which doesn’t go away and requires medication forever.

Where is she now:

After her deposition in a discrimination lawsuit leaked to the media, Ms. Deen saw her two shows dropped by Food Network and her contract terminated.