A well-known endocrinologist in New Zealand was recently plagued by a social media “deepfake” video of him suggesting diabetics use natural products such as hemp instead of standard medications to treat their disease.
As reported in The New Zealand Herald, the likeness of Dr. Jim Mann, of the University of Otago, was used in a bogus news video that circulated on social media, after being posted to a Facebook page for a company that sells hemp gummies.
In the video, the fake Dr. Mann urged people with type 2 diabetes to stop taking the gold-standard medication metformin and instead use alternative natural products, the outlet reported.
Though the post has reportedly been removed, Dr. Mann told a reporter that it has since occasionally resurfaced and that he only learned of its existence when someone texted him about it.
“I was just bombarded after that with texts, emails from two groups of people … One [group was] saying, ‘Congratulations on this wonderful new product … that you’ve discovered and great that you’ve exposed all these medics and other people as being frauds … where can I get the product?’ And other people who said, ‘For goodness sake, be aware, you’ve been scammed,’” he told the outlet.
A well-known endocrinologist in New Zealand was recently plagued by a social media “deepfake” video of him suggesting diabetics use natural products such as hemp instead of standard medications to… Read More
