A Facebook or Instagram ad shows a deepfake celebrity video endorsing a weight-loss supplement — it's a scam
AI deepfakes of celebrities like Oprah endorse weight-loss supplements on Facebook and Instagram. Victims receive cheap pills and are enrolled in hidden monthly subscriptions; upselling coaches push them to spend hundreds more.
Also known as: fake celebrity supplement endorsement, deepfake weight loss scam, LipoMax scam, pink salt trick scam, AI celebrity health product scam, fake Oprah supplement ad
Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes
- 1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
- 2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
- 3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.
What to do right now
- 1 Before buying any supplement you saw in a social media video: go directly to the celebrity's verified social media account or official website — if they have not posted about this product themselves, the ad is fake
- 2 Never click into a landing page that arrived via a Facebook or Instagram ad for a health product and enter your card number without independent verification
- 3 If you already paid, call your bank or card issuer immediately and dispute the charge; also cancel any connected recurring billing by contacting your bank
- 4 Block any 'health coach' who contacts you after the purchase — this is the second stage of the scam
- 5 Report the deepfake ad to Facebook or Instagram using the 'Report Ad' option so the platform can remove it
- 6 Report to the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FBI's IC3 at https://www.ic3.gov.
Red flags
- ⚠ A video on Facebook or Instagram shows a celebrity (Oprah, a TV doctor, a fitness influencer) personally endorsing a supplement they claim to have 'funded' or 'developed' — verify on their official accounts before buying
- ⚠ The ad uses phrases like 'pink salt trick,' 'ancient Japanese method,' 'natural Ozempic alternative,' or 'secret the pharma industry doesn't want you to know'
- ⚠ The landing page shows countdown timers, 'limited supply' warnings, and fake media logos ('As Seen On CBS/CNN/NBC') to create urgency
- ⚠ After purchase, a 'health coach' contacts you by phone or WhatsApp to push additional supplements costing $500–$1,000
- ⚠ You are billed monthly without clearly agreeing to a subscription; customer service is unreachable when you try to cancel
- ⚠ The supplement arrives but does nothing; reviews on third-party sites describe the same upselling coach pressure pattern
Sources
- BBB / WGEM — Deepfake AI scam uses celebrity likenesses to push fake supplements, BBB warns (Aug 3, 2026)
- TurnTo23 — Weight loss scams are surging in 2026, and AI is making them harder to spot (Aug 2026)
- ScamWatchHQ — Deepfake Celebrity Endorsement Scams: August 2026 Warning
- LiveNOW FOX — BBB LipoMax warning: AI videos helping promote weight loss products