Two fake and largely AI-generated websites purporting to be published by Forbes appear to be packed with paid-for promotional content.
PR agency Baden Bower appears to be connected to the sites and also to an organisation called the Global Recognition Awards.
A representative from Baden Bower appeared to offer Press Gazette guaranteed placement on the fake site Forbes LA in exchange for a fee.
Baden Bower and the Global Recognition Awards also appear to be connected to apparently fake and largely AI-generated website editions of other prestigious online newsbrands.
Publisher Forbes has confirmed that Forbes LA and Forbes Liechtenstein are fake sites, and is taking action against them.
The two sites post dozens of stories per day posted by contributors like Nathan Pine and Liam Redmond who are extremely difficult to trace online and have no social media profiles.
Pieces such as Liam Redmond’s latest, 5 ways to protect your mental bandwidth as a founder, are 100% AI-generated according to AI detector Pangram.
Harriet Caldwell of Forbes Liechtenstein, an allegedly ‘experienced news editor’, has a byline picture which is AI-generated according to Identifai.
Caldwell’s copy also comes up as AI-generated, either fully or partially, according to Pangram.
Much of the content appears to be promoting particular companies.
Forbes Liechtenstein carries an article promoting Baden Bower in which company leader AJ Ignacio said: “We’re not just securing press coverage. We’re delivering commercial outcomes that directly impact our clients’ bottom line. Our Global Recognition Award validates what our clients already know: we’re fundamentally disrupting how PR value is measured and delivered.”
Baden Bower’s homepage includes citations like “Global PR agency crowned World’s Most Disruptive PR Agency”, which links through to an article on the fake Lichtenstein edition of Forbes. Another Baden Power homepage citation quote links through to a largely AI-generated Philippines edition of Fast Company and a third links through to an article on an apparently fake German edition of Vanity Fair.
The Forbes Lichtenstein article, which Pangram ranks as 100% AI-generated, said: “Baden Bower guarantees media placement or offers a refund. The firm is poised to capture unprecedented growth. By the end of 2026, it will have 7,600 clients, representing a staggering 240% year-over-year growth.
“The firm has achieved something remarkable. It has built a bridge between brands desperate for visibility and the increasingly selective media gatekeepers, creating value on both sides of the equation.
“By the end of 2026, Baden Bower will have published 90,000 stories. This represents the company’s committed baseline.”
Forbes Liechtenstein also carries profiles of “Global Recognition Awards” winners including: artist and author Vera Nova, London-based beauty clinic By Narjis and the Anantara Uluwatu Bali Resort.
Baden Bower itself is listed as a winner on the Global Recognition Awards website.
‘Forbes is $10,000, yeah’
Baden Bower appears to offer submission of clients to the Global Recognition Awards as part of its services: this was offered both to a Press Gazette writer and a PR industry source who spoke to Press Gazette.
On the Baden Bower website, the company said: “Global Recognition Awards launched with no media presence, no brand authority, and no third-party validation.
“Within 12 months, it was featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Entrepreneur, and more than 20 additional Tier-1 publications worldwide. This is the case study of how guaranteed editorial PR transforms brand credibility, and what that credibility unlocks commercially.”
The website for the Global Recognition Awards includes quotes from Vanity Fair and Vogue, which publisher Conde Nast says are fake, and includes numerous AI-generated images of apparent winners.
The Global Recognition Awards website fake citation quotes link out to Forbes (fake Liechtenstein edition), Harper’s Bazaar (a dead link to an apparently fake Sweden edition), Vanity Fair (apparently AI-generated fake Germany edition), Vogue (deadlink to website with the url vogue.com.se), Fast Company (AI-generated Philippines edition) and Variety (apparently a fake version of the real Variety.com website which has the url Variety.com.se).
A PR source told Press Gazette about a video call with a Baden Bower representative called Zac who had a heavy Russian or Eastern European accent.
At one point Zac seemed to suggest that they would write an article with a guaranteed placement on Forbes LA.
Press Gazette’s source said: “Did I see that Forbes had an LA site or did I imagine that?”
Zak replied: “Yeah, Forbes is $10,000, yeah. You don’t have to write anything. Just submit the questionnaire, we will help you. We approve it with you if you want us to write it, no extra cost to you. The client will get great publicity. It’s a highly positive article.”
Zak also offered coverage in other local papers, such as the LA Times, suggesting he had understood the question.
He offered an extensive list of publications where he said payments would secure coverage and said that the two outlets that they “could not buy” were The Guardian and the New York Times.
The representative also suggested Baden Bower could produce articles with the aim of helping workers to win skilled worker visas for work in America.
A proposal forwarded on afterwards offered one feature in Forbes at $9,900, a 35% discount, with a $1,000 onboarding fee waived and a Global Recognition Award application added for free.
The representative also suggested that he could secure a Bloomberg TV interview by an Emmy Award-winning journalist for $9,900.
Articles placed by Forbes ‘contributors’
Press Gazette had a follow-up call with another Baden Bower representative, Camilo, who disclaimed knowledge of Forbes LA, but offered placement in other parts of Forbes – including regional sites.
He said: “And then we have the regular Forbes US. But the problem with the Forbes US is it takes a while because we have to show research to be able to publish there, so it takes about three months, and it’s pretty pricey.”
The price quoted for placing an article in Forbes US was $25,000, but other regional sites such as Forbes Georgia are far cheaper at just $2,000.
Camilo said that the articles would be placed by “contributors”.
In follow-up emails Baden Bower representatives offered a price list for coverage, including coverage in the Wall Street Journal for $100,000 – along with applications for the Global Recognition Awards.
“In the UK we have the Rolling Stone, the Daily Caller, others,” Camilo said. “We have the Independent.co.uk.”
“Are they badged as promotional or not?” Press Gazette asked.
“Some are, some are not,” Camilo said.
In a later email Camilo said: “Like I said on our call on Friday, August 7, the regional Forbes editions we work with are Georgia, Israel, India, Mexico, Colombia, and Australia. These are licensed editions published under agreement with Forbes, and anything placed there runs under the masthead’s own sponsored or contributor categories. I have no relationship with Forbes LA or Forbes Liechtenstein and have never placed a client there. I did not offer either of those two outlets to you on our call.”
He said: “Regarding labeling, content that goes through Forbes’ BrandVoice and contributor programs is badged by Forbes. We don’t control how any outlet labels its content, and we’d never ask them to change it. Where we arrange paid placements, they go out under the publication’s own sponsored or partner badging. If a publisher mislabels something, that’s on the publisher.
“Worth saying as well that paid and partner content is a standard, disclosed part of how modern media works, across trade and consumer outlets alike. We’ve built commercial relationships with more than 1,980 mastheads around the world, Press Gazette included, and the terms of those relationships are confidential, just as they are for any publisher’s commercial partners. We work the same way with all of them. Content is labelled according to each outlet’s own policies.”
Press Gazette has never published a sponsored article supplied by Baden Bower or any similar such company.
Baden Bower claims to be an international PR agency founded in Sydney in 2018 with offices in Manhattan and London.
While the company lists a London office, there is only one contact number, a mobile phone, which appears to be disconnected.
Alarm bells rung by self-serving promotional articles shared on Linkedin
Former BBC journalist Omar Hamdi, founder and CEO of Pathos Communications plc, spotted people sharing coverage on the two fake Forbes sites on Linkedin.
He said his suspicions were aroused by the clearly self-serving nature of the pieces.
One commercial post from Forbes Liechtenstein dates from September 2025, and the Internet Archive shows that the site has been active since March 2025.
The Internet Archive shows that Forbes LA has been active since January 2025.
Hamdi says that he believes PR representatives for the two sites approached company founders who had previously achieved legitimate coverage, claiming to offer more of the same, for a fee.
He said: “Making PR more accessible to entrepreneurs (and moving away from opaque, outdated retainers) is a great goal, but it’s still a young industry. Like many new, tech-enabled sectors, it will take time to mature.
“I believe there’s a way for media professionals and PR firms to work together as part of clear, results-focused PR work for growing businesses, while respecting and working within the editorial standards of the top-tier publishers we all know and love.
“PR firms, like other professions, have a duty of care to their clients. When a business comes to a PR firm and entrusts it with sharing its story with the world, that should be done to the highest standards, and everyone – the client, the PR firm, and most importantly, the publisher – should be a winner.”
Sarah Waddington, CEO of the Public Relations and Communications Association, said: “This unethical practice violates the core public relations standards of transparency, honesty and earned credibility.
“Through our Codes of Conduct, PRCA members commit to best practice and brands should reduce organisational and reputational risk by choosing them when procuring PR and public affairs services.”
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