"Let me tell you how you can maintain or fully restore your erection, even at 70 or 80 years old," Ben Carson, a former Housing and Urban Development secretary , appears to say in a June 21, 2024 Facebook post.

Similarly, the headline on a that appears to be from NBC News declares: "Everyone is talking about it! Dr. Ben Carson awarded for excellence in healthcare after publishing a prostate treatment that will save millions of lives."

Similar to many other ads promoting unproven treatments on Facebook -- some using altered images of celebrity endorsements and fake articles -- the latest posts are false. 

"This one is also fake and a scam. Dr Carson has NOT endorsed this product," a spokesperson for Carson's nonprofit American Cornerstone Institute told AFP in a July 3, 2024 email.

A keyword search uncovered no NBC reports that Carson promotes any such treatment, nor were they found mentioned by any other credible news

A reverse image search also revealed that the sign in the photo is doctored. The same photo appeared in the Wall Street Journal (archived here), credited to Christian Murdock of The Gazette in Colorado. It shows Carson speaking at a rally for Donald Trump in Colorado, on November 4, 2016.

perlinks on the page only redirects users to the advertisement for "prostate relief drops." 

Hundreds of similar ads appear in Meta's Ad Library, several of which were taken down for not meeting advertising standards.

Before using an alternative medicine or treatment, patients are advised to speak to their doctor to make sure it is a safe and effective option. According to the Mayo Clinic: "Some products that claim to work for erectile dysfunction can be dangerous" (archived here).

The US Food and Drug Administration warns on its website that "health fraud scams run rampant on social media sites and closed messaging apps" (archived here).

Other false claims that Carson endorsed a "natural cure" for a variety of ailments were previously fact-checked by AFP.