Several Facebook (FB) pages are advertising a health supplement that can allegedly cure a myriad of thyroid-related illnesses. This is a scam.
From Jan. 17 to Feb. 16, these pages uploaded videos marketing a product called “Thyroid Mana” that claims to treat diseases such as thyroid tumors, goiter and hyperthyroidism. The videos collectively received more than 175,000 recent views this week, according to FB.
Thyroid Mana is not listed on the Food and Drugs Administration’s (FDA) list of legitimate food and drug products with certificates of product registration.
The ad offered a huge discount and a “100% money-back guarantee” if the supplement is not effective. These videos showed product testimonials and advertisers claiming to be either reporters in a news segment or physicians donning lab coats.
This is a scam. When personal information is entered on the linked websites it will only lead to a “thank you” page, without any option to confirm the order details. One of the websites will even state that a “doctor” will call the customer to confirm their order.
These FB pages provided links to websites where netizens can supposedly order online, and they include documents showing the U.S. FDA and Registrar Corp. have approved the use of this product. But a closer look at the certificates show these were named after a face mask manufacturer and a sunglass factory, respectively.
The FDA cautions the public against entertaining these types of health ads. The agency advises the following tips to avoid being deceived:
- Always be alarmed if [health products] claim they are 100% safe and effective
- Consult a medical professional before taking any medicine
- Never share personal details and/or banking details
The regulatory agency also put up a verification portal where customers can check whether a product – ranging from drugs to medical devices – is legitimate or not.
These scam ads continue to circulate after the country celebrated goiter awareness week in January.
FB pages Thyroid tumor – goiter (created on Jan. 31, 2023), Thyroid Mana – Goodbye Thyroid Tumorr 08 (Sept. 18, 2022) and Thyroid Mana – Rem0ve Goiter, Thyroid Disease No1 (Aug. 20, 2022) published the videos, collectively garnering over 6,400 reactions, 1,300 comments, 500 shares and 692,000 views.
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(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
