David Amron Tells Senate Panel About AI Medical Impersonation Scam

Dr. David Amron testified before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging on July 29 during a hearing on deepfakes, chatbots, and senior fraud, according to a press release.

Amron, founder and medical director of The Roxbury Institute and founder and chair of The Lipedema Society, told lawmakers that scammers used his name, image, voice, and professional reputation to promote a fraudulent lipedema cream. The ads used footage from his YouTube channel that was manipulated to make it appear he endorsed the product.

The scammers also created an AI generated likeness, image, and voice of Dr. Karen Herbst, head of research and director of diagnostic and preventative medicine at The Roxbury Institute. The ads also used AI generated celebrity images and stolen media logos.

Several people bought the product before learning the ads were fake, including one of Amron's patients. Amron said his team reported the scam to Facebook, social media accounts tied to the ads, domain registrars, Google Ads, and major search engines, but new versions appeared after earlier ones were removed.