How AI is making health scams harder to spot - Free…

Consultant cardiologist Dr. Onn Akbar Ali has become the target of sophisticated AI-generated deepfakes that hijack his likeness to promote unverified health products. These fraudulent videos leverage the doctor's established reputation to lend credibility to dubious medical claims, creating significant risks for consumers who rely on his advice.

What happened

Scammers used artificial intelligence to generate a video featuring a digital recreation of Dr. Onn Akbar Ali. The deepfake accurately mimicked his appearance, including his signature skullcap, mannerisms, and a background featuring a plaque bearing his name. In the video, the AI-generated avatar promoted a herbal tea falsely claimed to control diabetes without medication or side effects.

The impersonation was so convincing that it deceived even the doctor's own family members, leading them to share the content with others. While the real Dr. Onn has identified subtle indicators of the fraud—such as unnatural blinking, lips that do not perfectly synchronize with the audio, and misspelled words in the background—these signs are frequently missed by casual social media users.

This incident highlights a broader trend of digital health fraud where bad actors combine deepfake technology with counterfeit branding and manipulated social media storefronts to sell unregistered supplements. The Health Ministry (MOH) has noted that these tactics make it increasingly difficult for consumers to distinguish between legitimate medical advice and predatory scams. Despite Dr. Onn reporting these accounts to social media platforms, he noted that the response has been inconsistent, leaving the burden of verification largely on the public. Experts advise consumers to remain skeptical of miracle cures, suspicious pricing, and medical claims that appear on social media feeds without verification through official health channels.