The video could almost make you smile. In front of his camera, the influencer Dylan Thiry promises “crazy”, that is, “something that cures cancer cells (sic)”. According to him, the product in question is not sold in France or Europe “because it is prohibited.” Too dangerous? No, “they don’t want it, they are much more interested in you going to the hospital and paying a blind price.”
One more slip as the products sold by influencers create controversy after controversy, with the confrontation between Booba and Magali Berdah in the background.
If last week the environmentalist Aurélien Taché presented a bill to regulate his activities, social networks abound with product placements, sometimes eccentric, often dangerous, that influencers try to sell you. Here are 5 iconic examples.
1 • A wonder drug
Undoubtedly the most dangerous scam. In the case of Dylan Thiry, the advertised product is actually a vitamin cocktail sold by an American company. Of course, vitamins are by no means a miracle cure for cancer. According to the website incan lights (National Cancer Institute), “it is not possible to say that a dietary supplement can fight cancerous disease or improve the effect of treatments.”
Dylan Thiry isn’t the only one promoting an “alternative” to chemotherapy. On YouTube, Thierry Casasnovas, singer of fasting and raw food, promised to cure cancer, diabetes or depression with these practices. While he was promoting a brand of juicers at 300 euros each… In the sights of justice, he was still quoted in the anti-sect report by Miviludes at the beginning of October.
2 • Doubtful investments
Let’s hope Nabilla’s subscribers didn’t lose it all in the crash that sent cryptocurrencies tumbling further, leading to FTX’s outright bankruptcy last week. Last year, the reality TV star was fined €20,000 by the DGCCRF for “deceptive business practices”. In a Snapchat video, she had promoted trading crypto assets, not only without specifying that she was paid for it, but mostly assuring that users “had nothing to lose.”
When the price of cryptocurrency skyrocketed, dozens of influencers pledged large sums, while many were actually just offering a Ponzi scheme, a well-known scam in which new entrants compensate older ones, often losing their share.
If cryptocrash could calm the ardor in this plan, the approach of the Soccer World Cup promises an increase in “good offers” on dubious sports betting platforms.
3 • “Anti-wave” patches
Are anti-radiation patches necessary to protect young pregnant women? Yes, says the company Fazup, which multiplies alliances with influencers. No, answered ANSES already in 2013, which pointed out that these patches could, on the contrary, force the phone to emit even more waves to compensate for this artificial blocking.
For several years, Fazup has surrounded himself with a battalion of Instagram influencers to sell his products, whose efficacy on health has not been proven by any scientific study. Last May, it was Enjoyphoenix who signed an agreement with the brand and its “passive antennas” aimed at “regulating mobile phone airwaves at the source.”
In a survey published by BFMTV in 2020, the co-founders played on words to promote their patches. “We write, for example, that our product eliminates the sensation of headache, not that it eliminates the headache (…) If people understand it differently, it is their problem.” Confirming in passing the total absence of proof of any effectiveness of your product.
4 • Knock at a price of gold
15 euros the watch instead of 196 euros? Much. Unless you find the same model for 4 euros on Amazon… Some unscrupulous companies have specialized in this type of product placement, well helped by shock influencers.
Magali Berdah, pope of the sector, had thus praised a connected watch offered much more expensive than the provider’s price. This is also the principle of dropshipping: announcing a deep discount on a product, which in any case will be sold at a higher price than on AliExpress or Amazon.
5 • Always whiter teeth
Do you want the same immaculate white teeth as the influencers? Therefore, it is better to have veneers placed by a serious dentist, which is not a risk-free practice, rather than follow his pseudo-medical advice.
Toothpastes, varnishes, kits… products sold on the internet can cause irreversible damage to teeth due to too high a concentration of active ingredients. Sarah Fraisou has thus promoted the “best toothpaste” among her subscribers.
“They are banned in France,” he says naively. And for good reason, we are totally unaware of what they contain. Often, they incorporate hydrogen peroxide or carbamide, with a concentration much higher than that recommended by European legal standards, as 60 million consumers recently warned.
Source: BFM TV
