A prominent London hospital has issued a warning after fraudulent videos surfaced online, falsely claiming that its medical staff endorse a weight loss product. Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust says the videos, which show doctors applying weight loss patches and purportedly shedding pounds, are entirely fabricated using artificial intelligence.
The Trust’s deputy chief medical officer, Dr. Daghni Rajasingam, has condemned the misleading clips, stressing that “NHS clinicians would never endorse or promote commercial products such as this.” The videos, found on social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok, feature individuals who do not actually work at the hospital.
Financial crime expert Graham Barrow, who hosts the “Dark Money File” podcast, has investigated the origins of these advertisements. He discovered that the profile photo of one of the “doctors” featured was simply lifted from a Romanian bank advert. Barrow also noted that the weight loss patches claimed to be “made in the UK” actually display the French flag on the packaging.
“The point is, the people selling this stuff are trying to bypass your rational response,” Barrow said. “They want you to really want to buy this because you want to lose weight, and it’s so easy when that emotion takes over to stop thinking clearly.”
The Trust is urging the public to seek legitimate health advice from trusted NHS sources, rather than falling victim to these deceptive marketing tactics. They have asked social media users to report any instances of the fraudulent videos they encounter online.
“They are fraudulent and they’re misleading,” Dr. Rajasingam warned. “We have to be aware that AI-generated images can be very good.”
As the use of artificial intelligence in advertising continues to evolve, this incident serves as a cautionary tale for consumers to approach health-related claims with a critical eye and to verify the credibility of any endorsements before making a purchase.
