A January 2022 Facebook post spread misinformation about actor Kevin Costner’s death. The post claimed that the tragic death of Costner made the audience sad. It urged Facebook users to click a link, and many of them did so for more information about the actor’s death. However, it was a news story with a scam about cannabidiol gummies.
The post claimed that multinational pharmaceutical companies were outraged about Costner’s new business enterprise. It was published on what appeared to be an NBC news website. It also claimed that Costner cured his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and stayed healthy with cannabidiol gummies. You might already have read the news as you were searching for the best CBD gummies. We cannot blame you if you feared for the health and safety of Costner.
However, it is not even an NBC website. It was a WordPress article space with a URL that read, “discover yourself now.” Users flagged the post as an element of social media attempts to address false news on Facebook News Feed.
As per the post, Costner chose to make CBD candies available to people through a CBD brand after his actor friend Betty White’s tragic death. The thing about a fake piece of news is that it knows how to manipulate our minds and emotions with facts in the mix. In this case, Betty White’s death is a fact. White died on December 31, 2021, due to a stroke. Now, did Costner know White personally? The two actors were part of a TV program known as The Earth Day Special but had not acted together in movies. Besides, we have not found any evidence that Costner had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
There is no evidence of Costner owning a new CBD gummy product line either. Costner’s representative Arnold Robinson said as much.
It is not the first time that scammers associated CBD with an actor from Hollywood. For instance, Tom Hanks called out an advertisement of CBD with his photograph. The actor took to Instagram to slam the ad that falsely claimed that he endorsed a CBD product.
These are examples of the ways in which CBD scammers try to take advantage of the fondness of the audience for likable actors. The likes of Costner and Hanks are charismatic actors with the charm factor to woo a CBD user base. Now, whether you like them or not, the takeaway from this should urge you to be more cautious when seeking the best CBD candies in the market.
