The Facebook (FB) post used a video of naturopathic doctor Arturo “Doc Atoie” Arboleda and used artificial intelligence (AI) to replicate his voice to promote fake health supplements.
“Diretsahan po name it, sinasabi sa inyo na ang DTX500 na ‘yan ay hindi po namin kilala (To be clear, I don’t know about the DTX500),” Arboleda said in a July 2 Facebook Reel.
The fake DTX500 in the softgel capsules shown in the video is packaged in plastic bottles and labeled as an herbal food supplement that “helps you lose weight, get smarter, live longer, protect your liver and reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease.”
The original CLINICA DTX 500 makes no approved therapeutic claims and is sold in a box and marketed as an anti-inflammatory supplement to prevent digestive disorders.
Clinica de Alternativo Medicina & Wellness Center, Inc., manufacturer of the FDA-approved product CLINICA DTX 500, issued a statement on May 5th warning against counterfeit products.
“These fake supplements are not only ineffective, but also pose serious health risks,” the statement read.
The fake video was labeled with a “Public Health Advisory” with logos from the Department of Health and the Food and Drug Administration, which referenced FDA Advisory 0052-A Series 2024. Although this advisory does not exist, FDA records show a public health warning for unregistered chili sauce pursuant to FDA Advisory Number 2024-0052.
The fake health promotion included a link to a website promising a buy-one-get-one-free offer if people provided their contact information and placed an order immediately – a tactic seen in other scams uncovered by VERA Files Fact Check.
Some of the videos uploaded to the YouTube channel were used Health Forum by Dr. Atwa March 28, 2018. In the original footage, Arboleda told the audience that by being disciplined and avoiding bad lifestyle habits, they could repair their kidneys and avoid the need for dialysis.
The fake Facebook video uses artificial intelligence to imitate Arboleda’s voice, making him appear to say:
“Songgayon, Magbibigai, Natural Napalang, Turyang Mawala, Nalalamu Daman, Mahintan Maintenance, Mapa High Blood Mangyang, Diabetes, Arthritis, Kidney Stones, Cancer.”
(Here are natural ways to permanently reverse diseases and get off maintenance medications for high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, kidney stones, cancer and more.)
Analysis by audio deepfake detection tool Loccus found that the suspect AI voice lines matched only 9% with their live human creators.
Posted from FB page Dr. Minda Libre As of May 4, the fake ad had garnered 46,998 responses, 8,363 interactions, and 9.5 million views. The fake ad first appeared three days after it was promoted on a radio show in Cagayan de Oro.
