PHOENIX – What is real and what is not?
With artificially created or altered images and videos, it is becoming increasingly difficult to know what is online.
Laura Guerra says before making an online purchase, she usually does her research. However, when she saw Oprah Winfrey's face associated with a product, her typical caution was forgotten.
“I saw Oprah Winfrey doing it and thought, 'Well, if she supports it, it should be real.' So I ordered it,” Guerra explained.
She bought a bottle of keto gummies because the website made big promises about weight loss aids, with, Guerra said, the seal of approval from Oprah herself.
Guerra says the deal was a bottle for $49.
“Until I went into my bank account and realized they had taken out $258.77,” she said after learning she had been charged for several bottles.
She called and emailed the company to cancel the order but said they redirected her. When a delivery box showed up at her door, Guerra didn't open it. She says she eventually reached an employee who gave her a return code. Guerra wrote the code on the unopened box and sent it back.
Guerra was promised a refund, but it never came.
“It’s just a game with them,” she said of the lack of communication. “They are terrible. They’re just thieves.”
Guerra reached out to our Let Joe Know team and asked himself, “How could a company do this?” But they weren’t legitimate to begin with.
For more than a year, Oprah has used social media to warn consumers about scammers who use her likeness in ads, emails and fake websites to sell products. Her publication Oprah Daily even published an article in November 2022 with the headline: “Oprah warns people that her name is being used to sell weight loss gummies without permission.”
She's not the only celebrity whose likeness is being used illicitly to influence consumers. Manipulated videos, audio recordings or images of celebrities such as Tom Hanks and Elon Musk have appeared on social media that appear to encourage consumers to participate in financial programs or purchase products, but the celebrities have no real connection to the companies that use their likeness or products.
The Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau are warning consumers that an increasing number of images and videos are using artificial intelligence to create the impression that celebrities are endorsing products.
Some politicians are trying to tackle the problem of dubious deep fake ads. In October, Senators Chris Coons (D., Del.), Marsha Blackburn (R. TN.), Amy Klobuchar (D., MN.) and Thom Tillis (R., NC.) drafted the bipartisan No Fakes Act. The law would create a nationwide standard for individuals to bring civil suits against parties who use their AI-generated likeness without permission.
In the House of Representatives, Rep. Yvette Clarke (D., N.Y.) reintroduced the Deepfakes Accountability Act in September. The bill would criminalize using a person's likeness without their permission in a way that could potentially harm the person.
“All you can do is research. “Don’t base yourself on a celebrity’s face,” Guerra warns other consumers after learning this lesson the hard way.
Latest from Let Joe Know:
Research is key. Research a company before giving them your money. Where are they based? Do they have contact information? What are their reviews and complaints?
When searching for a company, also search for the company name with the word “scam” added to it to see what comes up. In Guerra's case, searching for the phone number associated with the seller produces several results linking the number to possible scams. A big red flag.
Question any pop-up or ad that relies heavily on celebrity endorsements and be wary of social media purchases.
Do not click on third party links. If you decide to purchase a product, make sure it comes from a reputable website or marketplace.
Report fraud. If you believe you have been the victim of a deepfake product advertising scheme, contact your credit card or banking company immediately and dispute the allegation.
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