A Televangelist Peddling Silver As A Fake Cure For Coronavirus Has Been Warned By Officials To Stop

A cottage industry of fake and ineffective COVID-19 treatments and cures has spread in recent weeks, including air purifiers, vitamins, and even bleach. None of these treatments prevent or cure the disease, according to the World Health Organization.
The Federal Trade Commission and the US Food and Drug Administration announced today that seven companies selling “scam” coronavirus treatments had been threatened with seizure and legal action.
“The FTC says the companies have no evidence to back up their claims — as required by law,” the announcement said. “The FDA says there are no approved vaccines, drugs or investigational products currently available to treat or prevent the virus.”
Named in the complaint was The Jim Bakker Show, the program belonging to the Christian televangelist who rose to fame in the ’70s and fell from grace after a fraud conviction and sex scandal. After five years in prison, he resumed hosting his television show on the PTL Satellite Network in 2003. Bakker’s show promotes sales of “Silver Solution,” also known as colloidal silver, alongside vitamins, food rations, and heritage seeds.
The Jim Bakker Show did not respond to requests for comment from BuzzFeed News.
“Well let’s say it hasn’t been tested on this strain of the coronavirus, but it’s been tested on other strains of the coronavirus, and has been able to eliminate it within 12 hours, totally eliminate it, kills it, deactivates it,” said a guest on the show, naturopathic practitioner Sherrill Sellman. (The show’s website took down its archived version of the episode, which ran Feb. 12.)
The Jim Bakker Show is suggesting that the silver solution it sells can kill the coronavirus within 12 hours.
The FTC and FDA weren’t the only ones who took note of Bakker’s promotion of his Silver Solution. The New York attorney general issued a cease-and-desist letter last week, demanding a disclaimer be added to the products. Twitter said the companies will not be allowed to run advertisements on its site. Facebook, where one company still runs ads unrelated to COVID-19, did not respond to a request for comment.
Two other companies warned by the FTC, N-Ergetics and Vital Silver, were also selling colloidal silver, claiming it could treat the coronavirus.
N-Ergetics said in a statement that it addressed the concerns raised in the warning letter.
The head of Vital Silver, which falsely claimed that “it’s actually widely acknowledged in both science and the medical industry that ionic silver kills coronaviruses” on its Facebook page, said it made changes based on the letter.
“I was unaware that my company [was] violating FDA standards, or that any of the statements could be considered fraudulent,” Jennifer Hickman, who runs the website, told BuzzFeed News.
Hickman’s company also sold hand sanitizer that did not contain alcohol. According to the World Health Organization, hand sanitizer must be made of at least 60% alcohol to help prevent COVID-19 infection.
One Canadian website, Vivify Holistic Clinic, recommended drinking boneset tea six times a day to get rid of a coronavirus infection. The clinic falsely claimed it cured other coronavirus infections and SARS.
Three of the seven companies flagged promoted their false claims on Facebook but did not have wide followings.
One company, Guru Nanda, used Facebook and Twitter to promote its essential oils, like tea tree and eucalyptus, for coronavirus and even promoted “Corona” as a discount code for its products.
The head of Guru Nanda told BuzzFeed News that the company removed references to COVID-19 from its products. “My mission is to provide the purest and best natural essential oils sourced from all over the world at an affordable price,” said Puneet Nanda.
Quinessence Aromatherapy still has misleading statements on its Twitter account, claiming vitamin C can help prevent infection and tweeting a link with the text “Essential Oils to Protect Against Coronavirus.” It did not respond to a request for comment from BuzzFeed News.
The website Herbal Amy was also selling fake prevention products, including one called “Coronavirus Protocol” for $155. Amy Weidner, who runs the site, removed product statements that were highlighted in the warning letter, one of which falsely claimed it could treat coronavirus and SARS infections.
Weidner told BuzzFeed News that her website is “not selling any treatment products.” The product is still for sale on her site.

Facebook / Vital Silver Wellness A cottage industry of fake and ineffective COVID-19 treatments and cures has spread in recent weeks, including air purifiers, vitamins, and even bleach. None of these treatments prevent or cure the disease, according to the World Health Organization. The Federal Trade Commission and the US…
Recent Posts
- Chinese hackers abuse Microsoft tool to get past antivirus and cause havoc
- Your Earbuds Are Gross. Here’s How to Clean Them Properly
- This smart video lock unlocks with a wave of your hand
- Clues in Windows 11 suggest Microsoft has a nifty plan to help you move all your stuff from an old PC to a new computer more easily and conveniently
- NetEase Games has issued a statement on Marvel Rivals layoffs, citing ‘organizational reasons’
Archives
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- September 2018
- October 2017
- December 2011
- August 2010