One could say that Google did and continues to promote a variety of scam offers through AdWords/Sense. They've tried to clean things up, or at least move the small players out with quality score, page 1 pricing, etc, but the real results show:
http://www.google.com/search?q=acai+berry&pws=0
The second result when I searched was "www.CNN.com" What you want to bet that it really isn't CNN but some scam site? These clicks cost about $3 or more a pop, so Google is still making big money off of rebills.
I'm amazed that this works. (But clearly, if they can afford to pay for the second highest search result, it does.) The article goes straight from a slightly newsy story (CNN investigates scams) to a pitch, complete with product screenshots and a list of benefits. Reminds me of: http://www.infomarketingblog.com/images/Mark_Haroldsen.jpg
In terms of money, those acai products have made millions. It's a feeding frenzy probably bigger than ringtones.
I'm amazed that it "works" in that Google allows this to show up. Putting a different display domain than the desitnation is a clear violation of policy. It's also amazing that CNN hasn't found them and shut them down.
I guess what I see with the Zynga thing is a bit of selective outrage. It's been happening EVERYWHERE with the biggest players in the game for years.
Speaking of CNN, even they run ads for fake blogs and "advertorials" with what look like scam offers. Where's the TechCrunch article about them?
The second result when I searched was "www.CNN.com" What you want to bet that it really isn't CNN but some scam site? These clicks cost about $3 or more a pop, so Google is still making big money off of rebills.