'Shark Tank' Stars Say Scammers Used AI in Bogus Weight-Loss Ads
The ad that pops up on social media looks legit. Shark Tank stars Lori Greiner and Mark Cuban hold up jars of keto gummies for weight loss. "ON DAY 7, YOUR PANTS WILL NO LONGER FIT YOU!" the video presents, along with a button to order now.
Beware: It's fake.
Greiner and Cuban never endorsed keto gummies. None of the Shark Tank investors has ever endorsed a weight-loss supplement, on-air or in an ad.
I can tell you, we don't put keto diet pills on our show," says Shark Tank executive producer Clay Newbill. "There's never been a keto diet pill on our show, and there never will be.
Scammers know that a thumbs-up from the sharks can mean big money. So, they relentlessly use fake Shark Tank seals of approval to sell products, pitch crypto investments, or push business courses.
The products are usually weight-loss related. Most are various brands of keto gummies.
The Ads Are Getting Ridiculous
Some ads are more absurd than others, including one with a doctored photo of six famous sharks—their slightly too-large heads perched atop slim and buff underwear-clad bodies. Below them are bottles of keto gummies you can still find on Amazon.
The sharks are fed up.
"I don't take weight-loss pills and I don't take drugs and don't use marijuana creams and all this stuff," says Kevin O'Leary, 69. Scammers take advantage of the fact that he's lost 80 pounds in recent years—but through lifestyle changes, not supplements. "So of course there's pictures of fat Kevin and skinny Kevin up there and [the implication is], 'he did it with these gummies.' I don't touch products like that."
Victims Get Stuck With Charges
Many victims who buy the products reach out to the sharks to complain.
"I've gotten probably hundreds of emails over the years asking me why the keto gummies they ordered don't work. Or why they keep on charging them. Or sending and charging for product they didn't order," Mark Cuban says. "It's heartbreaking."
People buy the products and find their credit card charged repeatedly. Victims can try to stop payment with their credit card company, "but it's a process that nobody wants to go through," Newbill says.
AARP's Fraud Watch Network Helpline gets a steady stream of reports. One caller ordered keto pills over a year ago, but the seller kept sending more even as she returned them. Another woman ordered keto gummies and was charged more than expected, plus an additional $189.
AI Makes It Worse
The sharks face new challenges with AI tools letting scammers create realistic looking ads using celebrities' images and voices.
"Just recently they have started to use AI to recreate my voice to sell crazy products," Cuban says. "It actually sounds a lot like me, but you can tell it's not because the lips don't match my mouth."
Newbill saw one video featuring Greiner and singer Kelly Clarkson appearing to promote a weight-loss product. "With the recent improvements in AI, it looks like the scams are going to go to another level [where we're] actually seeing the person talking about the product."
Criminals used existing videos, manipulating the lips to match AI-cloned voices.
Greiner posted a video on TikTok in December with examples of scam ads using her likeness and AI-cloned voice. "They are fake. They are scam ads," she says.
Not Just Shark Tank Stars
Dolly Parton and Oprah Winfrey have been included in scammers' online ads touting CBD or keto gummies.
Last year Parton's publicity team posted on Instagram: "Dolly Parton is not affiliated with, has not endorsed and is not associated with any keto or CBD gummy product. She's more the cake, cookie, and cornbread type. — Team Dolly."
Do the Products Work?
No. As the Federal Trade Commission notes, "There's no magic way to lose weight without a sensible diet and regular exercise."
Last month the FTC sent out an alert about these bogus ads:
If someone says you don't have to watch what you eat to lose weight, that's a scam.
If someone says using their product helps you lose weight permanently, that's a scam.
If someone tells you all you have to do is take their pill, that's a scam.
The government doesn't review supplements for safety or effectiveness before they're sold. It's largely unregulated, so it's difficult to know what you're buying and how it will affect you.
Fighting Back
The sharks have complained about the lack of action from online platforms that take these ads. In a 2022 Twitter post, Cuban wrote, "This s--- has been going on for years. We report them, the platforms do nothing and people get ripped off!"
Some good news: Google announced it will no longer accept ads with fake endorsements starting in March. Violators won't be able to advertise with Google again.
"The platforms—Meta, Google, LinkedIn—are getting better," O'Leary says, "but the most important thing is education for people."
You can find a list of all the real Shark Tank products on ABC's site, Newbill notes: "If it's not listed there, it didn't appear on Shark Tank."
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