Deepfake Influencers on TikTok Used to Promote Fraudulent Wellness Products
Scammers on TikTok used deepfake technology to create synthetic influencer personas that promoted wellness products with unsubstantiated health claims. The fraudulent accounts fabricated personal stories to target vulnerable users, particularly women with fertility issues, before being removed from the platform.
What happened
Scammers on TikTok used deepfake technology to create synthetic influencer personas to promote wellness products. The deepfake influencers fabricated elaborate backstories, such as claiming to be the wife of Korea's highest paid plastic surgeon, a former Victoria's Secret model, or a doctor.
Accounts like 'Holistic Health Finds' promoted batana oil for hair growth with false claims of effectiveness. Another account, 'Wellness Welfare', used fabricated fertility struggle narratives as part of a popular TikTok 'storytime' trend to sell supplements from a brand called Hey Girl, targeting women with fertility issues.
Reported impact
The fraudulent accounts targeted vulnerable consumers, particularly women with fertility issues, using fabricated personal stories to manipulate purchasing decisions. Misleading health claims promoted unsubstantiated benefits of wellness products to TikTok users.
Index analysis
The scam involved multiple coordinated accounts sharing the same deepfake influencers across different personas and identities, suggesting an affiliated network operating simultaneously on the platform.
Governance controls
TikTok removed the accounts identified in the investigation after they were reported, with all accounts appearing to have been removed from the platform by March 10, 2025.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
This record was researched and written by the Index from original reporting. Its sources are still being verified by an editor, and they are listed here once that check is complete. Until then the record carries no reviewer.