Online scams using fake ads will stop FDA

By Rio N. Araja

THE Food and Drug Administration on Friday vowed to go after scammers who are using showbiz personalities and prominent doctors in fake advertisements of food and drug supplements.

At a weekly forum organized by the Philippine Information Agency in Quezon City, Food and Drug Administration director general Samuel Zacate said many unregistered supplements are being sold on social media.

“Three days ago, a colleague of mine being used in a fake endorsement had called my attention. I won’t mention his name. Two months ago, I came across this issue of fake ads. They easily disappear in just a click of a finger, making it harder for us to track them down,” he lamented.

He complained about fly-by-night warehouses of online products, saying scammers “are slippier than a fish.”

Photographs of popular personalities, including a well-respected doctor, are being used online in fake ads, he stressed. Zacate called on online business operators to take down unregistered food and drug supplements on their social media platforms.