FACT CHECK: Arthritis ‘cure’ ad uses deepfake video of Filipino doctor
Claim: Filipino physician Liza Ong, wife of online health personality Dr. Willie Ong, promotes the use of Bee Venom cream, a product that claims to relieve bone and joint pain.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook page “24h Health Information” made the post bearing the claim on November 11, and it continues to circulate online. As of writing, the post has 25 million views, 121,000 reactions, and 25,400 comments.
The video features Ong promoting an alleged medication for bone and joint conditions such as gout and osteoarthritis. A link to place orders for the product is included in the post. The link redirects to a page that appears to be an order website for the product named Bee Venom.
The facts: The video featuring Ong is AI-manipulated. TrueMedia.org, a deepfake detection tool, found “substantial evidence of manipulation” in its analysis of the faces and audio of the video.
The tool’s deepfake face detector found evidence of manipulation in the faces in the video with a confidence level of 98%. Its voice anti-spoofing analysis found evidence that an AI audio generator created the audio in the video with 100% certainty.
TrueMedia.org’s analysis stated: “The transcript appears to be an advertisement or promotional script rather than a real spoken audio. The language is highly persuasive and structured to sell a product, which is typical of marketing content. It includes claims of miraculous health benefits and discounts, which are common in scripted advertisements but not in genuine conversations or informational broadcasts.”
It added: “The tone is polished and lacks the natural flow of spontaneous speech, further suggesting it is a fabricated piece.”
Not FDA registered: Bee Venom is not included in the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s list of registered products.
Debunked: Rappler has previously debunked deepfake promotional ads of Bee Venom that used manipulated images and voices of other known physicians, such as Rocky Willis, Tony Leachon, Geraldine Zamora, and Gary Sy.
Targets of fake advertisements: Ong and her husband have been frequent targets of fake advertisements for unregistered health products. (READ: Philippines faces rising AI-driven disinformation)
- FACT CHECK: Doc Liza Ong doesn’t endorse unregistered anti-itch cream
- FACT CHECK: Altered video of Doc Liza Ong used in fake ad for prostate cream
- FACT CHECK: Manipulated videos of celebrities, online personalities used in weight loss ad
- FACT CHECK: ‘Cataract cure’ ad used spliced clips, AI-generated audio, of old Doc Liza Ong video
- FACT CHECK: Manipulated video cites Willie Ong ‘endorsement’ for hypertension ‘cure’
- FACT CHECK: Eyes Blue neither endorsed by Doc Willie Ong nor approved by FDA
- FACT CHECK: Ad uses deepfake video of Doc Willie Ong to promote voice and throat supplement
- FACT CHECK: Doc Willie Ong’s hypertension video ad is AI-manipulated
- FACT CHECK: Doc Willie Ong doesn’t endorse Ayurma Healing Oil
- FACT CHECK: Doc Willie Ong doesn’t endorse Nasure Colostrum Milk
- FACT CHECK: Doc Willie Ong doesn’t endorse Lung Gold Milk
- FACT CHECK: Barley Grass Powder ad uses altered photo of Doc Willie Ong
- FACT CHECK: Fake ads for hair growth product use Doc Willie Ong’s videos
- FACT CHECK: Doc Willie Ong ad promoting whitening toothpaste is fake
- FACT CHECK: Doc Willie Ong’s name, videos used in fake ads for Glufarelin
– Ailla Dela Cruz/Rappler.com
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.