A CBD company is using Sir David Attenborough’s name and likeness to promote its company and products while scamming people in the process, The Mirror reports. The David Attenborough CBD Oil products carry the namesake of the beloved 94-year-old “Planet Earth” and “Blue Planet” host but he has nothing to do with the products or the marketing campaign.
“These are not genuine endorsements and Sir David has had no involvement whatsoever with these products. The companies do not have permission to use Sir David’s name or image. He wishes to extend his sympathies to anyone that has been adversely affected by these companies and their actions.” – Attenborough’s spokesperson via the Mirror
The product, via Facebook, also links to a fake article on Medium.com that attributes quotes to Attenborough which are also fabricated. Attenborough’s spokesperson added that he doesn’t have a Facebook account and “there are many false accounts on Facebook claiming to be his.”
“This is being reported to Facebook and Sir David would encourage anyone who spots these fraudulent adverts also to report them to Facebook,” the spokesperson told the Mirror.
As of Monday afternoon, the page in question was not available on the social media site. The Medium article remains on the site.
The page also includes fake quotes attributed to Ed Sheeran, Rowan Atkinson, and Dame Helen Mirren.
This is hardly the first time that a CBD company has used a fake celebrity endorsement for its product. In July, actor Clint Eastwood sued 20 CBD companies for using his name, likeness, and quotes to promote their products. His lawyers told Fox News that the actor “does not have and never has had” any partnership with any CBD company. One of the defendants alleged to have used Eastwood’s name and likeness without permission blamed a publisher for fraudulently using the actor’s endorsement.
The false endorsements for Attenborough and Eastwood include the claim “Big Pharma in Outrage,” which could link both cases to the same fraudsters.
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