Is a video showing Dr. Mehmet Oz promoting weight loss pills that help dissolve fat authentic? No, that's not true: The original video of Dr. Oz wearing the same outfit is available on the internet and he never mentions a deal for weight loss pills. The audio of his voice doesn't appear to match his lip movements, and according to two websites that detect AI-generated content, the audio is likely to be AI generated.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on Facebook on April 30, 2024, with the title, "Dr. Oz invites you to a free experience. Free Returns & 7-Day Trial!" It opened with audio saying:
Hi everybody, I'm Dr. Oz. Nowadays people think they'll exercise to lose weight when they have time and money but end up gaining more weight instead.
This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Wed May 1 20:05:19 2024 UTC)
In the 42-second video, the audio says:
In fact, excessive obesity can truly exacerbate the problem. It's a painful reality that can lead to serious consequences. To address these issues we developed this product. It helps dissolve fat throughout the day even while you sleep. No need for dieting or exercising, isn't it amazing? If you place your order now you can receive a free trial and if you're not satisfied you can return it within 60 days without any problems. Don't delay. Start your journey to a healthier life today.
The caption from the post reads:
Dr. Oz's exclusive pills is your key to success in shedding those extra poundsHe firmly believes that after the age of 30, it's vital to focus on optimizing your body's weight management. Within just one weekyou can achieve lasting results, and noticeable changes can occur.
Using a screenshot from the video, a search on Google Lens (archived here) resulted in a video of Dr. Oz posted on his YouTube channel on April 27, 2024. In the video he is wearing the same plaid shirt and khaki pants and sitting on a rock outdoors as this screenshot shows:
(Source: YouTube screenshot taken on Wed May 1 20:33:16 2024 UTC)
Nowhere in the 34-second video does he mention "we developed this product" or that it "helps dissolve fat." Dr. Oz speaks about depression in his video, telling people to ask friends, family or health care providers for help. He does not mention weight loss or a product that helps dissolve fat throughout the day.
Lead Stories used the Hive Moderation AI Generated Content Detection (archived here) tool to analyze the video. The result was a 99.9 percent chance of being AI generated, as this screenshot shows:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Wed May 1 20:15:22 2024 UTC)
Lead Stories also uploaded the video to the AI detection website DeepFake-O-Meter, which determined, "The likelihood score derived from the method indicates the probability of the input being fake," as this screenshot shows:
(Source: DeepFake-O-Meter screenshot taken on Wed May 1 20:19:45 2024 UTC)
The link in the post sends users to a website made to appear to be WJZ CBS News Baltimore (archived here) but it is not the real news site (archived here). Each link on the page is for a weight loss product (archived here) and not news, weather, sports or video links, as this screenshot shows:
(Source: Secure Shop Keto Xpert screenshot taken on Wed May 1 20:22:32 2024 UTC)
Lead Stories has previously debunked claims that Dr. Oz promoted a weight loss coffee trick, that he had an amazing diabetes cure and that he promoted a cure for prostate disease. Other Lead Stories fact checks on claims related to Dr. Oz can be found here.
