A major London NHS trust has issued a stark public warning after discovering a series of fraudulent, AI-generated videos circulating on social media. The clips falsely depict the trust's clinicians promoting and using commercial weight loss patches.
Fraudulent Videos Target Trust's Reputation
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust confirmed it is actively working to have the deceptive content removed from platforms like TikTok and Facebook. The videos show individuals in hospital scrubs, presented as doctors from the trust, applying patches to their stomachs with captions claiming dramatic weight loss results.
In an official statement released on Thursday 15 January 2026, the trust clarified: "We can confirm these videos are fraudulent, and the people named and pictured are not members of our trust staff." The statement emphasised that NHS clinicians would never endorse commercial products in this manner.
Senior Doctor Urges Public Vigilance
Dr Daghni Rajasingam, the trust's deputy chief medical officer, spoke to the BBC about the concerning trend. She warned the public that the AI-generated images were convincingly realistic and deliberately misleading. "They are fraudulent and they're misleading. NHS clinicians would never endorse or promote commercial products such as this," Dr Rajasingam stated.
She strongly advised anyone seeking weight loss guidance to consult only trusted NHS sources for health advice, rather than social media promotions. The product being advertised in the scam videos is believed to be a so-called "natural herb product."
Wider Fears Over Social Media Weight Loss Scams
This incident highlights a broader, alarming trend. A recent survey conducted by Ipsos for the Press Association polled 2,161 UK adults and found that one in 10 people would consider buying weight-loss drugs from unregulated sources.
The breakdown revealed:
- 26% would only use weight-loss jabs if prescribed by their doctor.
- 16% would only obtain them from a registered pharmacy.
- 5% would buy them through social media platforms.
- 5% would purchase online from unregistered retailers.
Health leaders are now sounding the alarm. Olivier Picard, chairman of the National Pharmacy Association, warned of criminals seeking to "cash in" on the expected New Year surge in demand for weight management treatments. "Not only are unregulated sellers breaking the law, they can cause serious damage to your health," he said.
Picard urged the public to only use regulated pharmacies, either online or on the high street, where proper care and support can be provided. The NHS trust continues to encourage people to report any of the fraudulent videos directly to the social media platforms hosting them.
