Claim:
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) investigated LeBron James for taking performance-enhancing drugs during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Rating:
False ( About this rating? )
As the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team advanced in the 2024 Paris Olympics , an online rumor alleged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) launched an investigation into NBA star LeBron James for using performance-enhancing drugs, specifically naming a supposed weight-loss product called Rapid Lean Keto + ACV Gummies.
However, this rumor was false. Further, it's connected to a dangerous and long-running scam promoting keto gummies for weight loss.
The LeBron James Scam Began in Facebook Ads
The rumor, or scam, appeared in several Facebook advertisements in early August. One ad displayed a photo of James with the words "We Say Goodbye." The text of the ad read, "LeBron Might Sit Out After Paris" and "This 'Booster' turned up in his locker."
As we have previously reported , similar Facebook and Instagram ads target celebrities — such as Oprah Winfrey , Kelly Clarkson and others — by falsely saying they have endorsed keto gummies, purportedly for weight loss.
In reality, no famous people have ever endorsed any products described as keto gummies for weight loss.
Fake ESPN Article Promoted LeBron James Scam
The link in the Facebook ads directed users to a fake ESPN article ( archived ) hosted on the scam website greenteamgt.com. The headline read, "Questions Surround LeBron James As Investigation Dives Into His 'Performance Enhancers.'"
ESPN never published this page. It was a fictional story. The article, with its many false claims about James' supposed use of Rapid Lean Keto + ACV Gummies, began, in part:
(ESPN) - With a total of 4 NBA championships and 2 Olympic medals under his belt at the age of 39, there is no doubt that LeBron James is one of the greatest basketball players of our time. However, his most recent blood test is raising eyebrows within the Olympic Commission.
According to the report, his Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) was incredibly high, indicating a higher resting metabolism, and he had an outrageously high Resting Energy Expenditure (REE). What does this mean to someone without a doctorate in Health Science? According to his charts James is somehow able to burn calories at 145% higher than average.
James credits his incredible metabolism to the popular supplement, Rapid Lean, a popular weight loss product, that has yet to be banned by the Olympics.
For the average user, Rapid Lean is a product that is purported to be highly a effective weight loss supplement, but in the hands of a pro athlete, the results appear to be a complete game changer.
When asked about the controversy surrounding Rapid Lean, James responded with this:
"I understand the concern people have, but Rapid Lean is not a dangerous performance enhancer. It's simply a natural product that helps me boost energy and burn fat. And frankly, more people need to know about it."
Again, James never made any of the statements mentioned in the fake ESPN article.
About the Rapid Lean Keto + ACV Gummies Scam Website
Links in the fake ESPN article directed users to another scam page hosted on rapidleanbrands.com . That page falsely claimed CBS News, NBC, CNN, Women's Health, Dr. Mehmet Oz and other prominent sources provided favorable reviews of the purported gummies.
The same page also misleadingly advertised "free" bottles of the gummies — when, in reality, any user who signed up would receive charges amounting to hundreds of dollars as part of a monthly subscription.
The Rapid Lean Keto + ACV Gummies website listed (855) 485-8926 as a phone number and care@buyrapidlean.com as an email address. The website featured in the email address — buyrapidlean.com — listed its "location" as a mailbox inside a UPS Store in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.
Historically, customer service personnel assigned to field inquiries from victims of these scams follow scripts. Those scripts generally only offer a 50% refund to customers asking for money back. Readers who fall victim to these scams should contact their credit card company to alert them to the scam, ask if it's possible to obtain a full refund and block future recurring charges from the same seller.
FTC Takes Action Against Alleged Gummy Scammers
On July 1, weeks before these scam ads started circulating on Facebook, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced in a news release its action against "two related groups" that allegedly defrauded consumers nationwide by signing them up for similar recurring charges without their consent. It's unclear if, or to what extent, they included creators of the scam targeting James.
The release began:
A U.S. district court in central Florida today unsealed a Federal Trade Commission complaint charging two related groups of defendants with defrauding consumers nationwide by enrolling them, without their knowledge, into continuity plans where they are shipped and charged repeatedly for personal care products that they did not agree to purchase.
The defendants allegedly deceived consumers with ads for "free" CBD and Keto-related personal care products, billing many for products they did not consent to purchase, signing many up for unwanted continuity plans, and debiting money from their bank accounts without prior authorization. In addition, the FTC alleges that some of the defendants laundered credit card payments by setting up bank accounts for shell companies using straw signers.
"These defendants bilked consumers out of millions of dollars by repeatedly charging them for products they never ordered or agreed to purchase," said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "The FTC is committed to aggressively pursuing companies and individuals involved in these unauthorized billing scams."
We will update this story if we uncover any further information about the complaint and/or scam targeting James.
Sources:
"FTC Acts to Stop Unauthorized Billing Scams That Have Taken in Over $200 Million from Consumers." Federal Trade Commission , 1 July 2024, https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/07/ftc-acts-stop-unauthorized-billing-scams-have-taken-over-200-million-consumers .
Liles, Jordan. "Oprah Winfrey Weight Loss Gummies Facebook Ads Are a Scam." Snopes , 13 Jan. 2023, https://www.snopes.com//news/2023/01/13/oprah-winfrey-allegations-weight-loss-gummies/ .
---. "Was Kelly Clarkson 'Forced' by 'The Voice' to Lose Weight?" Snopes , 26 May 2023, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/kelly-clarkson-forced-nbc-the-voice-lose-weight/ .
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