At least four videos posted on Facebook (FB) used altered clips from various news organizations to promote products that allegedly reduce power consumption. These advertisements are fake.
Posted as early as June 11, the videos carried edited headlines, statements and clips of news reports on energy-saving devices. These manipulations convey the impression that the Department of Energy (DOE) has approved the product and that the news organizations acknowledged the devices’ effectiveness.
The posts either direct netizens to websites bearing the domain names GOGOOSHOPPING.STORE, TOPHEALTHADVICES.COM and SAVE-ELECTRICITY.STORE or ask them to send a message so they can avail themselves of the product.
These are fake. The news organizations and the DOE are not promoting the energy-saving devices shown in the fake advertisements.
“The DOE is NOT proposing, nor endorsing any specific brand or commercial product for public consumption. We encourage the public to refer to reputable sources of news and seek scientific-based information for energy-saving products and services,” a May 30 advisory said.
Aksyon TV report
On June 11, an FB page posted a 58-second clip carrying altered clips from TV5’s Aksyon TV episode uploaded on Dec. 9, 2015.
The fake advertisement changed the headline, added photos of a different product, and spliced statements from a DOE official.
It claimed that the DOE confirmed the effectiveness of the product “Smart Power Energy Saver” in lowering energy consumption when it actually warned the public about such devices in the original report.
24 Oras report
Another one-minute-18-second video posted on July 9 contains manipulated clips from a March 13, 2015 episode of GMA News’ 24 Oras program. The statements, clips and headlines were again altered to make it look that the DOE has endorsed the product called “Smart Energy Power Saver.”
VERA Files Fact Check debunked similar fake advertisements for this device last May. (Read CNN Philippines interview clips SPLICED to promote an energy-saving device)
TV Patrol report
The 53-second video uploaded on July 7 followed the same modus to promote “Electricity saving box.” The DOE in the Aug. 11, 2015 TV Patrol report tested various devices but they were found “ineffective” in reducing electricity consumption, but the fake ad edited the text to claim otherwise.
PTV News report
The last video also manipulated clips from a PTV News report uploaded nine years ago about a different energy-saving product. Photos and videos of the product “ElecTrick” were inserted to make the video appear recent.
These fabricated advertisements for energy-saving devices resurfaced days after the Manila Electric Cooperative announced increased power rates for the month of June.
The fake advertisements uploaded by the FB pages Japan Energy Saver (created on June 11 as Super Energy Saver), Home Elec (June 21), Venture Vision (April 8) and Gadgets Now (June 29) collectively have 13,315 reactions, 10,539 comments, 2940 shares and 1,132,800 views as of writing.
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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.)
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