fake endorsements
Paid lies praising
Fake endorsements are fabricated or misleading claims that a person, organization, or product has the backing or approval of someone who hasn't actually given it.
The term covers everything from forged celebrity testimonials in advertising to falsely claiming political support: The company was fined for fake endorsements using AI-generated celebrity likenesses.
Fake endorsements violate consumer protection laws in most jurisdictions and can constitute fraud.
- shillFraudster's fake customer
- astroturfDisguised propaganda appearing organic
- paid reviewsCompensated product evaluations
- testimonialsStatements praising something's worth
- sock puppetHosiery made theatrical
sponsored · paid partnership · brand deal · influencer · deceptive · phony · bought · bought and paid for · pay to play · manufactured · guerrilla marketing · planted · bogus · fraudulent · celebrity · trust · trusted source · credibility
- marketing scamsfalse ads, false promises, greenwashing, clickbait, hidden fees
- check fraudforged signature, forged signatures, forgery, counterfeit checks, bad checks
- election fraudelection fraud, voter fraud, ballot stuffing, ballot tampering, vote rigging
- stealth advertisingnative advertising, sponsored content, branded content, advertorials, hidden ads
- web spamcloaking, hidden text, content farms, blog spam, spam bots