Fake Trump and Oprah ads reportedly used in Medicare scam targeting seniors online
WASHINGTON, DC: Scammers are reportedly using fake advertisements featuring President Donald Trump and media icon Oprah Winfrey to target older Americans with deceptive Medicare schemes circulating across social media platforms, according to a new report.
The ads allegedly use AI-style imagery, manipulated videos, and fabricated celebrity endorsements to convince seniors to hand over personal information or sign up for misleading healthcare offers.
Fake celebrity endorsements used to lure seniors into Medicare scams
According to the report, scammers created ads falsely suggesting Trump, Oprah, and other recognizable public figures were endorsing special Medicare programs or limited-time healthcare benefits for seniors.
The report is due to be released on Tuesday by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, an advocacy and research organization that investigates social media apps. The organization provided an advance copy to NBC News.
The center found that social media platforms are rife with scam ads targeting seniors. The report said ads from 30 of the most active scam accounts generated an estimated 215 million ad impressions on the platform in the past year.
The report says 73% of those impressions were from users over the age of 65.
The ads use fake images or videos of celebrities, including President Donald Trump, former President Joe Biden, television host Oprah Winfrey, entertainer Steve Harvey, actor Brad Pitt, and cartoon character Bart Simpson, according to the report and copies of the ads reviewed by NBC News in Meta’s public ad library.
The ads share a common goal of persuading the viewer to click
The ads share a common goal: persuading the viewer to click a link to a website or call a phone number. “Don’t be an idiot. Claim it now,” an ad highlighted in the report said, promoting $3,600 in free groceries, rent, and gas through Medicare.
But after they click through, victims don’t see the riches they’re promised. Instead, their personal data is collected, or they’re steered into worse Medicare programs, the report says.
Meta said Monday it was looking at the report’s findings.
“Scammers are determined criminals who use increasingly sophisticated tactics to defraud people and evade detection on our platforms and across the internet,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement.
“We aggressively fight scams on and off our platforms because they’re not good for us or the people and businesses that rely on our services,” he said.
In December, a Facebook page using the name Walton Cook bought an ad with a fake video of Trump appearing to promote free “grocery allowance cards.” The ad also linked to a website, and the website address included the words “Medicare” and "benefits," giving an appearance of authenticity.
