Cardi B & More Receive Warnings From The FTC Over Undisclosed Ads

Source: Prince Williams / Getty

The Federal Trade Commission is getting involved after popular IG tea company, Teami, misled consumers with their products. As a result, Cardi B, Jordin Sparks, Adrienne Houghton, and other influencers have received a warning–which isn’t the first time social media influencers have been criticized for sharing sponsored content on Instagram without letting their followers know it’s actually an advertisement they were paid for.

If you have an account on Instagram, you’ve probably heard of Teami. It’s a company that produces “detox tea,” claiming  its products help with weight loss and even treat certain diseases. Now, the FTC has ordered the company to stop with the misleading advertisements along with returning $1,000,000 to “consumers who were harmed.”

Influencers who were paid to share videos of Teami violated the FTC’s Endorsement Guides in doing so, because you cannot be paid to advertise a product without disclosing such.

“Today, there are more than 1 million Instagram posts that bear hashtags associated with detox teas on Instagram,” legal director of Truth in Advertising Laura Smith said, according to BuzzFeed News. “This means that on any given day, a countless number of young consumers are exposed to this egregious and widespread deceptive marketing issue.”

Other influencers that received warning letters include Alexa PenaVega, Brittany Renner, Darnell Nicole, and a few others. Previously, even bigger names like Kylie Jenner and Demi Lovato have been paid to advertise their products, but they were not on the list of influencers to receive letters.