How have deepfakes and AI‑generated endorsements been used in weight‑loss supplement scams?

1. The bait: GLP‑1 demand and a fertile environment for fraud

As public interest and demand for GLP‑1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy surged, scam trackers logged a spike in fraudulent offerings that claim supplements work "just as well" as prescription GLP‑1 medications—an angle scammers exploit to promise quick results and bypass medical scrutiny ^{[1] [5]}. The Better Business Bureau reported that such ads proliferated across social media in late 2025 and into 2026, creating fertile ground for schemes that replace clinical credibility with sensational promises ^{[1] [6]}.

2. How the deepfakes are used: celebrity trust turned counterfeit currency

Scammers increasingly deploy AI to produce lifelike videos of celebrities endorsing weight‑loss products; the BBB and multiple local outlets cited examples including a widely circulated fake Oprah Winfrey video used to promote a so‑called “natural” product, and warned that these celebrity deepfakes are appearing "everywhere" in ad feeds ^{[1] [7]}. The tactic is straightforward: use a trusted public face to shortcut skepticism and lend apparent legitimacy to unregulated supplements ^{[2] [4]}.

3. Medical façade: fake doctors and sham pharmacies

Beyond celebrity endorsements, reports document scammers impersonating clinicians and setting up phony online pharmacies to sell pills, gummies or "kits" that promise GLP‑1‑like results without prescriptions—converting visual deception into transactional fraud where consumers send money for non‑existent or ineffective products ^{[3] [4]}. Local reporting and BBB alerts describe these layered deceptions—deepfake or staged credibility, plus fake storefronts—making it harder for ordinary shoppers to verify claims ^{[2] [4]}.

4. Real harms reported: money lost and consumer vulnerability

Consumers have reported losing hundreds to thousands of dollars; one Central Florida woman said she was scammed after subscribing to a Facebook ad, and another consumer reported a $1,000 loss tied to a gelatin diet pill scheme, illustrating direct financial harm beyond misleading marketing ^[2]. The BBB’s scam tracker documented a noticeable spike in reports, a pattern echoed across regional newsrooms that picked up the BBB's national warning ^{[1] [8]}.

5. The mechanics: social platforms, rapid replication, and the whack‑a‑mole problem

These campaigns spread mainly through targeted social‑media advertising and viral reposting, with AI tools allowing quick production and iteration of fake endorsements; public figures like Oprah have described their legal teams playing "whack‑a‑mole" with fake AI videos, underscoring how quickly fraudulent content can reappear even after takedowns ^{[1] [5]}. Reporters and scam monitors emphasize that removal is partial and reactive, while new variations continually surface in feeds ^{[1] [9]}.

6. What’s known and what remains uncertain

Reporting is consistent that AI‑generated celebrity deepfakes, fake clinicians and sham pharmacies are being used in weight‑loss scams and that consumer losses have occurred, per the BBB and network coverage ^{[1] [3]}. However, publicly available sources compiled here do not provide comprehensive data on the total number of victims, the full economic scale, nor long‑term outcomes for purchasers—those gaps limit precise measurement of the phenomenon beyond the spikes and anecdotes documented by the BBB and media outlets ^{[1] [2]}.

7. Countermeasures and where accountability stalls

Agencies and media advise caution—verify sellers, check licensing and be skeptical of celebrity endorsements—but enforcement struggles because content flows across platforms and is rapidly re‑created; legal pushback by targeted celebrities is ongoing but described as a continual “play” to remove instances rather than a systemic cure ^{[1] [7]}. The BBB’s alerts and local news coverage aim to educate consumers, yet the sources emphasize prevention more than a resolved enforcement pathway ^{[2] [4]}.