Associated Incidents
Advertisements online for new medical treatments are more prevalent than ever. They're all over social media, pushing promising claims for exciting new products and devices.
These include miracle cures and quick-and-easy fixes for everything from diabetes to chronic pain and weight loss. Many of these advertisements include videos of celebrities or doctors, with convincing endorsements and testimonials.
The problem? They're often fake videos from companies trying to scam consumers, according to a new TODAY investigation.
"It’s all a ruse powered by the latest AI deepfakes, designed to get your money," TODAY chief consumer investigative correspondent Vicky Nguyen explained.
Victims of these scams are now speaking out.
Beth Holland is one of the 17 million women in the United States diagnosed with lipedema, a chronic condition characterized by an abnormal buildup of fat in the legs which causes swelling and reduced mobility. There’s no cure.
“It just got so bad. And you can’t lose weight. It’s painful," Holland told TODAY.
Desperate for relief, Holland found an advertisement for a promising new treatment on Facebook. It was a skin cream to combat the painful symptoms of lipedema and aid with drainage of retained fluid, called “Svelta Venastra."
An online ad for Svelta Venastra.
"You secure deep, long-term transformation," the company said in an ad. "It’s already been tested on over 11,532 women, with 96% reporting noticeable improvements."
The ad featured testimonials from Oprah Winfrey, Kelly Clarkson and Carnie Wilson. Even more convincing, it seemed to feature Holland's own doctor, board-certified lipedema surgeon Dr. David Amron.
"I thought it was affiliated with Dr. Amron, so I thought, this is great," Holland says. She ordered six bottles, which cost $300.
What Holland didn’t know was the footage of Amron and the celebrities was pirated off the web and digitally manipulated to lure in hopeful patients.
Medical Scams Using Deepfakes On Rise
The ad for the cream was a deepfake, a type of artificial intelligence-generated content that digitally alters a person's image or voice to seem real.
Increasingly, these AI-generated deepfakes appear to feature real doctors making false claims and promoting treatments. Scammers circulate these on social media to deceive people into giving away their money, Nguyen reported.
In Holland's case, her doctor's likeness was doctored to endorse a fake treatment. “There’s no cream that’s going to treat lipedema. It really is impossible,” Amron told TODAY, adding that he was "aghast" seeing the videos.
In response to TODAY’s investigation, Oprah said she “does not sell any product” and has a dedicated security team “doing takedowns of false ads ... found on social media every day."
Meta told TODAY that the lipadema cream ad featuring Winfrey is no longer on Facebook, and that the company uses celebrity facial recognition tech to remove deepfakes.
However, celebrities remain targeted by scammers using deepfakes. Even TODAY's own weatherman Al Roker was a victim.
Earlier this year, Roker was sent a link to a video of himself promoting a product to reverse hypertension.
“I don’t have hypertension,” Roker told TODAY.
Although the video was impersonating Roker to sell a fake product, “to the casual viewer, Al Roker is touting this hypertension cure,” Roker said.
TODAY’s investigation revealed more deepfake ads for medical products on social media, including drinkable GLP-1 weight loss products and diabetic care creams, which use a fake “FDA certificate of compliance,” said Nguyen.
A fake ad for a drinkable GLP-1 medication.
“There’s no liquid GLP-1 that’s FDA-approved,” Nguyen added.
TODAY tried tracking down the companies behind the lipedema cream and other medical products, but wasn't able to reach anyone for comment.
Some of the online ads cite fake certificates of compliance, Nguyen said.
Consumers At Risk
Consumers are being increasingly targeted by these medical scams on social media, and cheated “out of their money, time, and even their health,” the Federal Trade Commission warns.
These fraudulent health products have not been proven safe and effective. "It is scary. You don’t know what’s in them," said Amron. Medical scams "can lead to delays in getting proper diagnosis and treatment," per the Food and Drug Administration.
Experts told TODAY that medical fraud is the next frontier of AI scams. "It's about to explode," Yoav Keren, CEO of BrandShield, a cybersecurity company hired by the pharmaceutical industry, explained.
These scams are hugely profitable. “Billions of dollars,” said Keren.
Many of the products are traced to shell companies in East Asia, where the trail runs cold, Karen added.
"Someone can be running this scam from Europe, hosting it in South America and targeting the U.S. It can be anywhere," said Keren. As a result, it's difficult to prosecute scammers.
"It’s terrible that they scam people who are desperate and in pain," said Holland. As for her $300 order, Holland did receive cream in the mail, but it hasn't helped her lipedema at all.
"I just warn everybody: Do not purchase," said Holland.
After reporting the transaction as fraud to her credit card company, she was able to get a refund. But not all victims of these medical scams are able to get their money back, Keren warned.
How to Stay Safe From Medical Ad Scams
It's increasingly difficult to distinguish deepfake videos. The AI technology is so good now that it's nearly impossible to spot what's real and what's fake, Keren said.
What can you do to protect yourself from medical scams online? Here are a few tips:
- Read the user comments under the ad to see if anyone has flagged it as fake.
- Search to see if you can find any other information or reviews of the product.
- Ask your doctor first before buying any medical products.
- Always use a credit card so you can report potential fraud and ask for a refund if you're scammed.
"Buyer, beware," said Nguyen.