criminal-law fraud
How can I report Fake News with deceptive misleading statements?
<p>Jessica Nabongo is an "influencer" on the popular social media apps instagram, twitter, and Facebook. </p>

<p>She marketed herself as attempting to be the first black woman to visit every country. Her "brand" is based on this phrase. She gives speeches about being the first..., sells photography branded "first..." and sells consultations on travel, branded "first...."</p>

<p>While she was attempting to visit every country, another woman named Spotts was verified as already visiting every country from 1979-2018.</p>

<p>Nabongo has internal connections with the media and has intimidated them out of covering Spotts the way she should have been covered. Detroit media and tourism continued calling Nabongo "first" on live broadcasts until outrage grew against them. She also manipulated naive interns into posting "first...." Most have stopped but the Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook posts continue. Nabongo's refusal to acknowledge, causes her followers to bully Ms. Spotts. Nabongo has continued to raise money, obtain sponsors, and deceive unaware media, under the false pretense that she's going to be "first" black woman to visit every country.</p>

<p>Is this fraud? </p>

<p><a href="http://www.blackhistory.org/2019/05/wonnie-spotts-first-black-woman-travel-every-country-continent.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wonnie Spotts, the first women to visit every country</a></p>

<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_African-American_firsts#2018" rel="nofollow noreferrer">List of African-American firsts</a></p>

<p><strong><em>There is no law in the US that says you must tell the truth on the internet.</em></strong></p>

<p>Some places where one must tell the truth are:</p>

<ul>
<li>When speaking to police, the FBI, and most government agencies</li>
<li>When filing your taxes with the IRS</li>
<li>In certain business contracts</li>
<li>When testifying before Congress</li>
</ul>

<p>But on the internet, you can claim to be the first man on the moon with impunity.  If someone is gullible enough to believe you and send you money, that is their fault and responsibility.</p>

<hr>

<p>As far as eating a Pangolin, why should she "admit" it, when it was documented on Instagram?  There is no duty to officially apologize for it.  You can try to report her to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which enforces the Endangered Species Act, but as it occurred outside the USA, they will be powerless.</p>

<hr>

<p>Her claims are dubious, and possibly incorrect.  Her treatment of an endangered animal is reprehensible.  However, you posted this to a <strong>law</strong> site, asking about "reporting it" (to some sort of authority), and tagged it "criminal law".  </p>

<p>Her behavior is troubling, but I don't see anything that is remotely illegal or criminal.</p>

<p>The conduct described is unlikely to be a crime, although it is likely that it is a violation of a consumer protection act such as a state deceptive trade practices act which imposes non-criminal consequences including the right to obtain injunctions and impose money damages and attorneys' fees in cases where someone makes false statements to obtain a good or service in a way that is defined more broadly than common law fraud limited narrowly to harm caused in he transaction itself. </p>

<p>In most circumstances, fraud is only actionable if it is not just false, but causes someone to justifiably rely upon a false statement of a material fact to their detriment, although some criminal fraud statutes are more lenient. Even then, many criminal fraud statutes and statutes authorizing non-criminal action, such as the Lanham Act require a showing that the false statement harm a competitor which wouldn't be very well defined in this case.</p>

<p>If it is a crime at all, it would be some sort of crime relating to misrepresentations in connection with raising charitable funds, perhaps under the federal mail and wire fraud statute.</p>

<p>Determining which jurisdiction's law applies to this conduct on the Internet is a non-trivial exercise, as it the problem of convincing someone to take action or paying an attorney to take the case.</p>

<p>A more moderate response that is more likely to prevail would be to complain about a Terms of Service (TOS) violation to the platform used to promote these statements.</p>
