New technology and artificial intelligence are making fake celebrity endorsements more convincing than ever.
"Instead of the celebrity just sitting at a table eating dinner it might show them eating a particular brand of food," said Dr. Serena Sullivan, an associate professor of cybersecurity at National University.
Sandy Keene knows how easy it is to be fooled.
She was looking for an alternative to expensive weight loss drugs, and thought she found a solution when she saw a video featuring Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz, the current administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Believing the endorsement was real, Keene watched an hour-long video and purchased sugar control pills from a company called GEX Corporation.
"Dr. Phil seemed reputable," Keene said. "I paid $311."
She says the pills didn’t help, and when Keene tried to get a refund, the company denied involvement.
"They are saying this is not us," Keene said.
WATCH as a woman shows how easy it is to fall for a fake celebrity endorsement:
Scammers use legitimate companies as a cover
A legitimate, U.S.-based GEX Corporation states on its website that it "has no affiliation whatsoever with GEX Corporation LTDA," the company selling dietary supplements.
It also claims the supplement company is "registered in Brazil."
In addition, the pills purchased by Keene have never been endorsed by Dr. Phil or Dr. Oz.
Spotting fake celebrity endorsements
Sullivan warns that AI is making celebrity impersonations increasingly sophisticated.
She advises consumers to closely examine images for errors or nonsensical details to determine if an endorsement is legitimate.
"The fingers will look really long or maybe they won't have enough fingers on their hands," Sullivan said.
Other details to look for, according to the Better Business Bureau, include:
- Choppy sentences
- Unnatural or out-of-place inflection
- Background sounds that don’t match the speaker’s location
- Unnatural blinking or no blinking
- Blurry spots in the video
- Changes in video quality
Sullivan also reminds consumers that celebrities typically endorse products through their official social media channels.
"See what types of endorsements this celebrity is actually, legitimately endorsing," she said.
Dr. Phil has publicly addressed the issue of fake endorsements using his likeness.
"Any marketing using my name or image is 100% dishonest," Dr. Phil said during a 2021 episode of the Dr. Phil show after his image was used to endorse CBD products.
Keene now urges others to do their research before making a purchase.
"If I had listened to my first instinct, I would have turned it off," Keene said, so you don’t waste your money.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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