08.19.20
The U.S. Food and Drug Association and the Federal Trade Commission recently issued a warning letter to a company called SilveryGuy after reviewing its website and Facebook page. The two government agencies allege that the company was marketing colloidal silver products, and claiming that those products could mitigate, prevent, treat, diagnose, or cure COVID-19 in people. SilveryGuy was reportedly earning commissions on sales of colloidal silver products through participating in the Amazon Associates program, in which it promoted specific products sold through Amazon.
This is not the first participating Amazon associate that has received a letter from the federal government regarding fraudulent coronavirus claims. At least two other Amazon Associates Program participants were charged and identified publicly by the FDA and FTC, according to a release issued in March.
On May 5, Amazon announced a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security to prevent fraudulent health claims related to COVID-19.
"Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Amazon has proactively stopped more than 6.5 million products with inaccurate claims, removed over 1 million offers for suspected price gouging, and suspended more than 10,000 selling accounts for suspected price gouging and referred the most egregious offenders to federal and state law enforcement across the country," Dharmesh Mehta, Amazon vice president of Customer Trust and Partner Support, said in a statement.
“Based on our review, these claims cause the Amazon associate product purchased through a link on your website to be an unapproved new drug,” the FDA said.
The website reportedly had a section titled “Protecting Yourself and Your Family from COVID-19 with Colloidal Silver… So How Can Colloidal Silver Help Fight COVID-19?” which included the following statements:
- “Colloidal Silver can be atomized by using an ultrasonic humidifier and the resulting atomized ‘fumes’ can be inhaled deep into the lungs, the action of silver colloids getting on the lining of your lungs may prove to inhibit the virus from replicating too quickly.”
- “Silver particles may reduce your body’s overreaction to the virus (excessive reaction by a body’s immune system in the presence of COVID-19 can cause too much mucous to be created within the lung which basically starts to suffocate a person.”
Similar claims were made in a section of the website entitled “Wuhan Coronavirus #nCov2019 and How Colloidal Silver Can Help.”
Similar to the rest of the companies charged with making COVID-19 claims that have fallen under FDA and FTC’s scrutiny, the two government agencies have given SilveryGuy 48 hours to take corrective action to stop promoting the sale of unapproved and unauthorized products with COVID-19 claims.
This is not the first participating Amazon associate that has received a letter from the federal government regarding fraudulent coronavirus claims. At least two other Amazon Associates Program participants were charged and identified publicly by the FDA and FTC, according to a release issued in March.
On May 5, Amazon announced a partnership with the Department of Homeland Security to prevent fraudulent health claims related to COVID-19.
"Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Amazon has proactively stopped more than 6.5 million products with inaccurate claims, removed over 1 million offers for suspected price gouging, and suspended more than 10,000 selling accounts for suspected price gouging and referred the most egregious offenders to federal and state law enforcement across the country," Dharmesh Mehta, Amazon vice president of Customer Trust and Partner Support, said in a statement.
“Based on our review, these claims cause the Amazon associate product purchased through a link on your website to be an unapproved new drug,” the FDA said.
The website reportedly had a section titled “Protecting Yourself and Your Family from COVID-19 with Colloidal Silver… So How Can Colloidal Silver Help Fight COVID-19?” which included the following statements:
- “Colloidal Silver can be atomized by using an ultrasonic humidifier and the resulting atomized ‘fumes’ can be inhaled deep into the lungs, the action of silver colloids getting on the lining of your lungs may prove to inhibit the virus from replicating too quickly.”
- “Silver particles may reduce your body’s overreaction to the virus (excessive reaction by a body’s immune system in the presence of COVID-19 can cause too much mucous to be created within the lung which basically starts to suffocate a person.”
Similar claims were made in a section of the website entitled “Wuhan Coronavirus #nCov2019 and How Colloidal Silver Can Help.”
Similar to the rest of the companies charged with making COVID-19 claims that have fallen under FDA and FTC’s scrutiny, the two government agencies have given SilveryGuy 48 hours to take corrective action to stop promoting the sale of unapproved and unauthorized products with COVID-19 claims.
