PHOENIX — What's real and what's not?
With artificially generated or altered images and videos, it's becoming more and more difficult to know what's what online.
Laura Guerra says before making an online purchase, she typically does her research. However, when she saw Oprah Winfrey's face associated with a product, her typical wariness went by the wayside.
"I saw Oprah Winfrey on that and thought, 'well, if she backs it, it should be legit.' So I ordered it," Guerra explained.
She bought one bottle of keto gummies as the website made big promises of weight loss help with, as Guerra thought, the stamp of approval from Oprah herself.
Guerra says the offer was one bottle for $49.
"Until I went to my bank account and it was $258.77 that they had taken," she said after learning she was charged for multiple bottles.
She called and sent emails to the company trying to cancel the order, but says she was given the run-around. When a delivery box showed up at her door, Guerra didn't open it. She says she eventually reached an employee who issued her a return code. Guerra wrote the code on the unopened box and shipped it back.
Guerra was promised a refund, but it never came.
"It's just a game with them," she said about the lack of communication. "They're awful. They're just thieves."
Guerra reached out to our Let Joe Know team, wondering 'how could a company do this?' But they weren't legitimate to begin with.
For more than a year, Oprah has taken to social media to warn consumers of fraudsters using 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 Without Permission to Sell Weight Loss Gummies."
She's not the only celebrity whose likeness is being used without permission to influence consumers. Doctored videos, audio, or images of celebrities like Tom Hanks and Elon Musk have popped up on social media seeming to encourage consumers to engage in financial schemes or buy products, but the celebrities have no real affiliation with the companies using their likenesses or the products.
The Federal Trade Commission and Better Business Bureau are warning consumers that a growing number of images and videos are using artificial intelligence to make it appear as if celebrities are endorsing products.
Some politicians are trying to take on the issue 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 act would create a nationwide standard for individuals to bring civil action against parties who use their AI-generated likeness without permission.
In the House, Representative Yvette Clarke (D., N.Y.) reintroduced the Deepfakes Accountability Act in September. The act 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 it on a celebrity's face," Guerra warns other consumers after learning that lesson the hard way.
Research is key. Look up any company before giving them your money. Where are they based? Do they have contact information? What are their reviews and complaints?
When researching a company, also search that company's name with the added word "scam" to see what comes up. In Guerra's case, searching the phone number associated with the seller populates several results linking the number to possible scams. A major red flag.
Question any pop-up or ad heavily relying on a celebrity endorsement and be wary of buying on social media.
Don't click third-party links. If you decide to buy a product, make sure it's from a legitimate website or reputable marketplace.
Report fraud. If you think you've fallen victim to a deepfake product endorsement scheme, contact your credit card or banking company right away and dispute the charge.
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