Bethenny Frankel sues TikTok for failing to crack down on scam ads
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Bethenny Frankel is suing TikTok for not tackling scam videos showing her promoting a fake designer vest, saying social media giant is the ‘wild west’ of advertising
- Frankel sues TikTok, owned by Chinese parent company ByteDance, for unspecified damages
- She says the website did not respond when she reported a scam account with her likeness
- Frankel had filmed herself gushing over a $440 Jenni Kayne cardigan
- A fake brand website called Shop Now Cocoon Cardigan used the video
- It’s now been removed, but Frankel says it damaged her brand
- She invites other influencers to join her in a class action lawsuit
- ByteDance’s operating losses jumped from $5 billion to $7 billion last year
- The Company Still Lists Assets Over $70 Billion
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Former Real Housewives of New York star Bethenny Frankel is suing TikTok for failing to crack down on fake ads promoting fake designer vests.
Frankel claims that the Chinese company was aware of the scam but did nothing to stop it, despite repeated requests from her.
The spam account had stolen a video of her mopping up about a product she loved and applying it to their cheaper counterfeit product.
TikTok eventually removed the videos, but Frankel — who has an Instagram following of $2.8 million and a TikTok following of 994,000 — says the damage has already been done.
Her followers believed she had agreed to promote the fakes on a cheap, untrustworthy website.
Bethenny Frasnkel sues TikTok for unspecified damages, says social media giant failed to fight a scam ad
Frankel had posted about Jenni Kayne’s $445 Cocoon Cardigan. She says another website used the video to promote and sell its merchandise
She is now suing TikTok for not doing enough to stamp out scam ads, and is inviting other influencers to join her.
Frankel, through her attorneys, told DailyMail.com in a statement: “It came to my attention that TikTok was distributing videos using my own content without my permission to sell merchandise that I have no affiliation with.
TikTok ads get millions and millions of views – exponentially more than TV – and yet it’s advertising’s wild west
“I’ve found this to be a widespread problem affecting creators of all sizes across the space. It is unacceptable and I want to be a voice for change and use my platform to create a shift in the industry.
‘If you watch commercials on television, it’s highly regulated. TikTok ads get millions upon millions of views — exponentially more than TV — and yet it’s advertising’s wild west.
“Little to no effort is being made to regulate and control that content, and we’re going to change that.”
The lawsuit was filed today in New York City. DailyMail.com has obtained a copy showing that Frankel’s attorneys expect the case to reach more than $5 million in damages if other plaintiffs join.
Frankel’s lawsuit, filed today in Manhattan court, invites other influencers to join her
The social media star has nearly 1 million followers on TikTok, many of whom believed she endorsed the scam account using her likeness
Frankel starred in several seasons of the Bravo franchise, but is best known for her business success; she made millions from her SkinnyGirl lifestyle brand and she also runs the BStrong Disaster Relief organization.
The issue was first brought to her attention by her fans online.
She explained that she was mad at Jenni Kayne for posting her glowing praise on their site, but that a second, “sloppy” account had started selling other vests using her video.
In a TikTok video on Sept. 18, she said, “The bigger problem is TikTok and the wild, wild west of social media.
“This is something that needs to be addressed. It’s a breeding ground for scams. “What if this really, really damaged my image?”
Her lawsuit comes amid declining profits at TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance.
The company’s operating losses totaled $7 billion last year during a massive period of growth for the company. It was $5 billion more than they lost the previous year.
However, the company’s assets rose from about $60 billion to $73 billion, according to financial data viewed by The Wall Street Journal on Thursday.