Alert: Fraudulent Advertisements on social media

The Fiona Wood Foundation is alerting our community about a series of unauthorised and misleading advertisements appearing as sponsored content on social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. These advertisements illegitimately use images and false quotes of Professor Fiona Wood to imply endorsement of products and services that are in no way affiliated with Fiona or the Foundation.

The Specific Nature of the Fraudulent Advertisements

The fraudulent posts misuse Professor Fiona Wood’s image and attribute fabricated quotes to her, falsely implying an endorsement or association with various commercial entities. The deceptive advertisements are being shared as sponsored posts, making them visible in users' feeds rather than through direct searches. This targeted approach allows these ads to appear intermittently, evading easy detection and complicating efforts to track them.

Here is a sample of the types of advertisements that are being circulated:

Impact on the Foundation

The Foundation deeply values the community's trust. Exploiting Fiona’s image and the Foundation's reputation in these fraudulent ads misrepresents Fiona Wood and the Foundation and is in breach of various laws. It not only misleads the public but also detracts from our vital work in burn care and research.

Our Response and Call to Action

In response to these misleading advertisements, the Foundation is:

Active Reporting: Engaging with social media regulatory bodies to report and remove these ads.

Seeking Community Assistance: We ask our supporters and the public to help by reporting any false and misleading sponsored ads they encounter in their social media feeds.

We encourage everyone to:

Be Vigilant: Exercise caution and scepticism with sponsored content featuring Dr Fiona Wood or the Foundation.

Stay Informed: Rely on our official channels for accurate information.

Spread the Word: Inform your network about this issue to prevent the spread of misinformation.

Contact Information:

Please do not hesitate to contact Di at diane@fionawoodfoundation.org.au for further inquiries or to report suspicious activities related to this issue.

We are grateful to our supporters and the broader community for their understanding and proactive response to this issue. Your actions in reporting these ads and spreading awareness are invaluable.