Facebook Grifts

A man in a white coat appears on your Facebook feed. He looks grave. Concerned. The kind of concerned that suggests he has information you need and has been wrestling with his conscience about whether to share it. He has decided to share it. Commercial pet food, he tells you,

How GLORENDA® promised to cure obesity, diabetes, brain fog, and menopausal symptoms with a €19.96 sticker from Shenzhen Steve's summary: A transdermal patch claims to produce 60kg weight loss, reverse diabetes, and clear brain fog. The guarantee says no questions asked. The footer says ship it back

Featuring Dr. Roberto Mancini, who doesn't exist, and Dr. Shilling MD, who accidentally does I was scrolling through Facebook when an advertisement caught my eye. "I migliori chirurghi ortopedici: 'Questo è il modo più veloce per alleviare il dolore alla spalla per sempre'", it

I'm 71 years old. Facebook knows this. It also knows that people my age have bad backs, creaky knees, and enough disposable income to make us worth targeting with medical devices that don't work.  I get these ads constantly.  Most I scroll past without a second

The science is real. The product is not the subject of the science. That's the trick. Steve the Hypothetical Gerbil says: This one’s about a €86.95 device that claims to fix spinal stenosis. There’s fake urgency, borrowed science, and a Dutch testimonial. Paul didn’t