Willie Ong. Screengrabs from Facebook/Doc Willie Ong
Social media personality Dr. Willie Ong has issued a warning against scammers who are using his name for endorsing a form of mixed nuts that claims to have anti-cancer properties, and can also prevent diabetes and obesity.
Ong’s warning comes a day after Kris Aquino expressed her intention to seek legal action after discovering that her “name and likeness” was used for purported endorsement of the supposed “miracle food,” as seen in a copy of the demand letter of her legal counsel at the Divina Law Office which was dated March 21.
The cardiologist pointed out that Aquino and her legal counsel “may have been misled” by the offensive advertisements, as seen on his official Facebook page on Tuesday, April 18.
“Notice to the public: These are all obviously fake ads and scammer pages. And Ms. Kris Aquino and her lawyers may have been misled by these fake ads which are not mine po. I do not own nor endorse these products. Please be careful po,” Ong said.
The cardiologist also attached screenshots of the offensive advertisements, as he stressed that he is only endorsing a supplement drink which is said to be a “charity advocacy” for senior citizens.
“All the rest including Mixed Nuts are fake po. I am not the endorser or the owner of these fake [Facebook] pages using my name. The fake ads issue is a worldwide problem of influencers. I, and many other influencers are the victims here,” he added.
Ong also clarified that his official social media platforms have a “blue verified check mark” and he currently has 17 million followers, as of this writing.
“All FB pages with only a few followers using my name are fake pages po. I have no control on what fake pictures they post. I have reported this to FB for the past [five] years with little success since the scammers just keep making new FB accounts. This is a problem of many influencers. I hope you can clarify this so as not to harm my reputation. Salamat po,” he said.
The media personality also informed his followers to be wary against “fake ads” and alleged scammers on Facebook, as he noted that celebrities are also victims of being used for offensive advertisements and purported promotions on social media.
“Paulit-ulit ko na po ‘tong sinasabi since five years ago. Magi-ingat po tayo sa fake ads, mga scam na Facebook page, at huwag po tayong magpapaloko. Marami pong scam ngayon na ginagamit ang mukha ko. Hindi lang mukha ko, celebrities and influencers, kaya kung may makikita po kayo, halos lahat doon ay fake. Isa lang po ang ine-endorse namin,” he said. EDV