TikTok has removed deceptive advertisements for weight loss drugs that falsely claimed to be from the health and beauty retailer Boots. The removal occurred after Boots filed a complaint regarding the fraudulent content.
These advertisements promoted prescription-only weight loss drugs and depicted what appeared to be smiling healthcare professionals associated with the British retailer. However, these visuals were entirely generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
It is against the law to publicly advertise prescription-only weight loss medications.
A Boots spokesperson confirmed awareness of the videos and stated that a complaint was lodged with TikTok, which subsequently removed the content.
A TikTok spokesperson indicated that the platform prohibits “harmful or misleading AI-generated ads.”
Despite the initial removal of the videos, the account, which appeared to be based in Hong Kong, remained active. This allowed the account to re-upload the identical videos.
After being notified again, TikTok permanently deleted the user account.
Weight-loss injections became available through the NHS in England in late June, but they are not sold over-the-counter. Patients must fulfill strict eligibility criteria to receive a prescription.
Before its deletion, the fake Boots account’s videos directed users to a website where weight loss drugs were available for purchase. This site included testimonials from customers and doctors, which were either AI-generated or copied from other sources.
The TikTok videos showed individuals resembling health workers consuming a blue liquid from a vial. The footage then seemingly fast-forwarded several months, showing the workers having undergone significant weight loss.
AI expert Sam Gregory commented on the ease with which AI can now create “convincing series of videos or images showing an apparent change in a plausibly real generic health professional, or to impersonate specific health professionals wholesale.”
Gregory also raised the question of how swiftly and thoroughly platforms respond to detected scams that clearly violate their terms of service, noting that “Major brands like Boots will get prioritised over an individual business owner who’s been targeted.”
Serious Health Risks
The same TikTok account also uploaded other videos that appeared to use content from real individuals sharing their weight-loss journeys, repurposing it without permission.
All the deceptive videos utilized branding and names similar to the official Boots TikTok account, “@BootsOfficial.”
Boots clarified that it only runs social media advertisements through its verified account, @BootsUK.
The fraudulent website also displayed warnings from the MHRA, the UK’s government body responsible for ensuring the safety of medicines and medical devices, concerning the purchase of counterfeit products.
A spokesperson for the MHRA emphasized that weight loss medicines “should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy against a prescription issued by a healthcare professional.”
The spokesperson warned that “Taking these medicines sourced in any other way carries serious risks to your health with no guarantees about what they contain.”
TikTok stated its commitment to “strengthen” its detection methods for AI-generated content and reiterated that it does not permit “the depiction, promotion, or trade of controlled substances.”
