Tom Hanks calls ad featuring him promoting CBD product an 'intentional hoax'
Tom Hanks called out an advertisement using his image to promote CBD on Tuesday, calling the ad in question a "false and an intentional hoax."
The ad from an undisclosed company appears to promote "CannaPro CBD" and features a photo of the actor, alongside a fake quote attributed to him.
"The advances Dr. Oz has made in the CBD industry are remarkable. I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t had the chance to try it out for myself. After using CannaPro CBD for two weeks I was already feeling like a new me," the quote reads.
In an Instagram post, Hanks shared the ad, writing, "I’ve never said this and would never make such an endorsement. Come on, man!"
The false ad also garnered criticism from Dr. Mehmet Oz, who is mentioned in the quote.
Reposting Hanks' message, Dr Oz added, "Could not agree more with @tomhanks. This is a fake and misleading advertisement intended to take advantage of consumers using false claims and our likenesses illegally. I am not involved with any cannabis companies."
Hanks previously shared another fake advertisement, also using his likeness to promote CBD, in July 2019. "FRAUD! INTERNET FAKE! Just so you know," he captioned his post.
High profile actors and actresses often fall victim to celebrity endorsement theft. Ellen DeGeneres and Sandra Bullock filed a joint lawsuit in November 2019 against 100 anonymous defendants for using their name and likeness for unauthorized product endorsements.
The lawsuit is directed at websites that use their likeness without permission in order to increase traffic or sales. Bullock and DeGeneres say their images and personas are mostly used to push beauty wares like anti-aging serum and weight-loss products.
The FTC and Better Business Bureau (BBB) told ABC News that the issue has impacted millions across the United States. Stars' names and images are often used without their permission, and some of the scammers creating the false adverts can be difficult to identify.
"Millions of people around the country have lost billions of dollars to this sort of fraud and it's continuing all the time," Steven Baker, an international investigations specialist for the BBB, told ABC News in December 2018 report.
"These sorts of scams, frauds often claim that they're endorsed by celebrities or that celebrities are actually investing in them, for example that people have left their TV jobs to instead set up a skincare line," he added. "For people that become victims of this, a lot of the time the fact that somebody that's famous… endorsed this… gives them a real strong feeling that this must be a legitimate."
Check out some tips from the BBB on what to look for to spot a deceptive online ad here.
