Mark Cuban Slams Viral TikTok Scammers For Faking Shark Tank Endorsements To Sell Products: ‘It’s Messed Up…I Hope They Get Busted’ – Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN)
Viral TikTok videos are using doctored clips from “Shark Tank” to falsely portray billionaire investor Mark Cuban endorsing products sold through TikTok Shop — and the billionaire is not amused.
What Happened: A new investigation by news rating group NewsGuard found that several TikTok accounts have spliced together footage from different “Shark Tank” episodes to make it appear as if Cuban endorsed products like Neuro Gum and BoomBoom nasal inhalers.
In one viral example, a video edited Cuban’s $30 million offer to dating app Coffee Meets Bagel into a clip promoting Neuro Gum.
The manipulated video garnered over 9.6 million views, said the report.
See Also: Mark Cuban Once Revealed A Childhood Habit That His Automobile Upholsterer Father Was Happy About: ‘I Don’t Understand What You’re Doing, But I’m Glad You’re Doing It’
Another TikTok falsely depicted Cuban endorsing BoomBoom in a conversation with Kevin Hart by replacing his real comment about Spikeball with the altered audio, “BoomBoom.”
“These faked videos, which racked up millions of views, purport to show investor Mark Cuban endorsing or investing in the products,” NewsGuard reported.
Cuban told the outlet in response, “It’s messed up. I spend too much time reporting this stuff to the [Federal Trade Commission]. I hope they get busted.”
TikTok confirmed to the publication that it removed the flagged content for violating its policies, stating that it does not allow misleading use of public figures, including fake endorsements.
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Why It’s Important: In a similar incident, back in 2022, Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN filed legal actions in Italy, Spain and the U.S. as part of a global crackdown on fake review brokers, targeting over 11,000 websites and social media groups involved in posting fake reviews for money or free products.
Meanwhile, on Friday, Cuban bid farewell to the hit reality investing show “Shark Tank” as Season 16 wraps up. The Shark currently has a net worth of $8.20 billion, ranking him 391st on Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index.
Reports indicate that Cuban had invested over $20 million across at least 85 companies during his time on the show. Among his most successful deals were investments in brands like Dude Wipes, BeatBox Beverages, Tower Paddle Boards and Nuts ‘N More.
However, Cuban also passed on some opportunities that later soared in value, most notably Mother Beverage, which rebranded as Poppi and was later acquired by PepsiCo for $1.9 billion.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo Courtesy: Kathy Hutchins On Shutterstock.com
