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What a 2023 Report Found About Fake and Misleading Truth Social Ads

A 2023 report described fake merchandise and misleading claims among Truth Social ads, but the available account gives no exact proportion and says nothing conclusive about today’s ad inventory.
From TheFinanceBase Team3 min to read

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A 2023 investigation reported that Truth Social’s ads included fake merchandise and misleading claims, alongside ordinary product ads. It did not establish what share of the ads were deceptive, and it is not evidence of the platform’s current ad inventory.

What the 2023 investigation reported

Ars Technica’s January 27, 2023 summary of a New York Times investigation says the Times collected ads over several months and analyzed hundreds. The examples included vaccination-exemption cards, children’s guides to “resisting socialism,” and Trump-themed products such as hats and bobbleheads. Some ads appeared to sell fake merchandise; one promoted a $2 bill bearing Trump’s face using a fabricated tweet attributed to President Joe Biden. Hats and bobbleheads, however, were not necessarily misleading simply because they were Trump-themed. Ars Technica’s account summarizes the findings.

The account does not provide the exact sample size, the criteria used to classify ads as fake or misleading, or the fraction that fell into either category. “Dominated” is the report’s characterization, not a substantiated percentage that can be applied to all Truth Social ads.

Why the report described the ad environment that way

Ars reported that Truth Social had partnered with Rumble Ads and recalled a 2022 promotional push describing the platform’s audience as growing and highly engaged. In the Times account, major brands were absent; reporter Stuart A. Thompson’s finding, as quoted by Ars, was that “ads from major brands are nonexistent on the site.”

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The account cited content concerns, audience size, and the lack of a large younger audience as possible reasons major advertisers might avoid the platform. It also pointed to Rumble Ads tools that made performance harder to track and limited demographic targeting. These are reported explanations, not proof that any one factor caused the absence of major brands. Ars Technica’s summary attributes the findings and possible explanations to the Times report.

What this does—and does not—say about ads today

The investigation covered ads collected over several months before its January 2023 coverage. It is historical evidence, not a current audit. The available account does not establish whether the same types of ads appear now, how often they appear, or how Truth Social’s ad inventory compares with other platforms.

There is broader regulatory context, but it should not be mistaken for a Truth Social-specific finding. In March 2023, the Federal Trade Commission said it had sent orders to eight social-media and video-streaming platforms asking about their practices for scrutinizing and restricting deceptive ads, including counterfeit goods and scams. The FTC release does not identify Truth Social as one of those platforms. FTC announcement on the orders.

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How to assess a product ad before paying

An ad’s presence on a social platform is not proof that the seller or product is legitimate. The FTC advises consumers to check a seller before buying based on an ad or post, and to report suspicious ads or losses. Its April 2026 guidance says people reported losing more than $95 million in 2025 to scams that began after they ordered something seen in a social-media ad. That figure covers social media broadly; it is not a Truth Social statistic. FTC consumer guidance on social-media ad shopping scams.

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  • Check who is selling the product before entering payment details; do not treat the platform or the ad itself as an endorsement.
  • Be especially cautious when an ad uses a supposedly newsworthy claim, public figure, or endorsement to create urgency. Look for independent confirmation rather than relying on the ad’s own image or wording.
  • If you suspect a scam or have lost money, report it to the FTC using its guidance for social-media shopping scams.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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