Another AI-generated video with the image of a popular Bulgarian doctor is circulating on social networks and promoting a “cream with a new formula for eliminating joint pain in just 3 days“, warns the online platform “We, the users“ and urges people not to trust such “advertisements“. They have already reported the videos with a request to remove them.
One of the videos is a fake exclusive live interview for a television news show with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Angel Kunchev, who is, however, an epidemiologist. In the video, he presents the joint medicine as follows:
“We have created a new cream formula that completely eliminates pain in 3 days and begins to restore the damaged joint from the inside. Apply this cream only once a day, as indicated in the instructions, and you will forever forget about arthritis, osteoarthritis, acute pain, stiffness and swelling. We have broken all sales records, and over 100,000 satisfied customers from Bulgaria have already left their reviews. You can also buy this cream for your parents or loved ones. It will help you get rid of pain in your back, neck, knees and other problem areas forever without surgery, pills and expensive massages. Click, learn more and you will be surprised how easy, safe and fast it is. And most importantly - it is not expensive. Everyone can afford this product. If you do not believe in our treatment method, then continue to suffer. Dear friends, I am not trying to sell you anything, I have simply created the most effective method of treatment. The decision whether to use it or not is up to you. After all, you are the ones who suffer from pain, and I have already cured myself.“
The video was posted on the Facebook page “Updates Realm“ on Tuesday, January 7, and has over 342,000 views. The telltale sign is that the page is registered in the “Properties“ category, has only 10 followers and no posts. It is not a random trick to upload the video to the platform as a tape, as this is a way for it not to remain in the page's archive and not to be found when searching for keywords for investigative purposes. This approach, combined with sponsorship, ensures that it reaches more people in a short period of time, because it is played in the newsfeed and in the story bar of users on the network, without the need to follow the page.
It is not clear what the purpose of distributing this video is, since there are no active links to place orders, no price is indicated, nor is the name of the product displayed. The only thing that can be seen, barely noticeable, as a watermark is the inscription “boriao shop“, which is not found on the Internet at this stage.
It is possible that the fake video is part of a warm-up campaign, the purpose of which is to create interest in the currently unknown product, which will be presented to the audience at a later stage and provide opportunities to purchase it on other platforms.
However, Facebook's algorithms work in such a way that when you hold on to the video, you will soon start being offered others with advertisements for the same product. This time we come across a video from January 10 with 26,000 views, which imitates an interview in the continuation of the news on another leading television channel, in which an AI-generated image of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kunchev sends startling messages:
„Do you think you are immortal? The side effects of the pills are so severe that they will send you to the grave faster than any arthritis or osteoporosis. If you are over 50, you should realize that your articular cartilage and intervertebral discs are on the verge of exhaustion...“
What indicates that the videos are fake?
There is a certain discrepancy between the movement of the lips and the spoken text.
Incorrectly placed accents when pronouncing the words.
During the announcement of the presenter, the photo of the doctor was not cut adequately into the video from the studio, but was placed on it in such a way that it obscured part of the journalist's figure.
There were gross grammatical errors in the subtitles.
What raises doubts about the efficacy of the product?
A promise to achieve fantastic results in a very short period of time in the treatment of diseases - something beyond the capabilities of conventional medicine. AI-generated images that show inside and out how joints respond to cream treatment, providing additional insight into rapid changes in health.
With the increasingly intensive penetration of artificial intelligence, cases of stolen identities of medical professionals and people known in various fields to create false advertisements for the purpose of fraud will become more frequent, and as it develops, it will become increasingly difficult to distinguish the technology. People should not trust it, especially when there are attempts to generally discredit doctors and deny known treatment methods.