Be wary of Facebook posts that claim to help you avoid health scams. They themselves may be scams.
A Facebook video claims former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is warning viewers to stay away from Dr. Mehmet Oz's diabetes treatment scam.
“This abnormal Dr. Oz only traumatizes innocent diabetic patients with his deceptions and ineffective treatments,” Carlson is quoted as saying in his book. Facebook video from April 23rd.
But this video is just a deception.It has characteristics deepfake videoThis is common on social media, where real videos of celebrities are sometimes combined with doctored audio to make it appear as if the celebrity is saying something that is not actually the case. These fake videos are often created to promote products such as gummies or nutritional supplements. Oz, a heart surgeon and former Senate candidate, has not proposed a cure for diabetes, but he has been the subject of numerous deepfake videos showing him touting cures for diabetes and other diseases. There is.
In the video, Carlson introduces Barbara O'Neal. self-introduction He is a natural medicine teacher from Australia and plans to discuss “how to avoid falling for scams like this''. O'Neill is touting a product he said was “co-developed” with pharmaceutical company Pfizer and “certified” by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. After administering one course of the $39 drug, she said, her “diabetes is gone forever.”
Facebook posts contain expected links. article Part of an interview with Mr. O'Neill talking about products that manage blood sugar levels.
This post was flagged as part of Meta's efforts to combat false news and misinformation on News Feed. (Read more about us Partnership with Meta, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. )
A company spokesperson told PolitiFact that the products linked in the Facebook post were not made in partnership with Pfizer.
There is There is no cure for diabetesdisease affects Over 38 million adults and children According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
(Facebook screenshot)
We found a number of red flags in the Facebook post.
The first is the video itself. The audio does not match Carlson's or O'Neal's mouth movements. Signature video is deepfake.No evidence found for Carlson's disease Website or episode guide O'Neal has appeared as a guest on Carlson's show “Tucker Carlson Uncensored,” which is streamed on Carlson's website, the Tucker Carlson Network. on X.
Second, the Facebook post is a link to an interview with Mr. O'Neill that is not legitimate. The page has his MSNBC logo at the top, but unlike the actual page on the news site, the URL does not include his MSNBC. The URL starts with “https://wellnessela.mom/”. The article misspells O'neil as O'neil and at one point refers to “his” patient.
Mr. O'Neill's Website Sales of health products are not listed. She offers her lecture series, lifestyle retreats, and book sales on her own site. Ms O'Neill clashed with Australian health authorities in 2019 over questionable claims about her health, including that there were no safe vaccines. Vox reported During February. Clips of O'Neal's talk are often used on TikTok by “creators selling supplements and products,” Vox reported.
We reached out to Ms. O'Neal through her website to ask if she had any connection to the products featured in the Facebook post, but did not immediately receive a response.
The Facebook video also claims that the supplement is “approved by the FDA.” Product webpage “This product has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.” Although the FDA regulates the dietary supplement industry, is also not regulated approve or authenticate product.
An FDA spokesperson told PolitiFact that the agency does not approve dietary supplements for any purpose and that, unlike drugs, dietary supplements cannot legally claim to treat a disease. Stated.
The Facebook video's claim that Carlson and O'Neal discuss a dietary supplement that can treat diabetes, made with Pfizer and approved by the FDA, is Pants on Fire!
