Social media platforms are failing to block dubious health ads

Across Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram, we found adverts making false medical claims, impersonating doctors, pretending to be endorsed by medical bodies and possibly not delivering the items they claim to sell, while still taking customers’ money.

Big tech firms such as Meta can come across as lax, as adverts featuring medical misinformation are being repeatedly posted on their platforms by fraudsters in an effort to deceive the public.

Read on to discover the dodgy health adverts being posted on social media platforms.

A version of this article was originally published in Which? Tech magazine.

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Suspicious medical ads: what we found

False health claims on social media are rife – from fabricated medical advice to fake adverts impersonating real doctors. It doesn’t take long to encounter paid-for ads conspicuously flaunting rules, laws and regulations. Here's what Which? discovered.

Made up prostate treatment

One advert promoting prostate treatment drops claimed to eliminate prostatitis altogether. It also claimed that it could cure erectile dysfunction within 24 hours. The advertisement led to a website impersonating the media company MSNBC News and featured an article that was designed to appear as if the famous neurosurgeon Dr Ben Carson was promoting a product he had created using a ‘unique formula’.

The fake story went on to claim that the treatment drops were developed by specialists from the Institute of Urology and the National Medical University. But these universities don’t exist. The advert was posted from a Facebook profile promoting other dodgy health products.

Prostatitis, which is the inflammation of the prostate, is treated with antibiotics. Treatment for chronic prostatitis may include antibiotics as well as cognitive behavioural therapy, counselling, physiotherapy or alternative therapies, such as acupuncture. The NHS website states that the condition can be serious and needs urgent medical help.

Dodgy diabetes devices

Three adverts targeted diabetics by promoting a glucose-monitoring detox wristband, a blood glucose meter and a blood glucose monitor. One of the devices is purported to be a brand from Israel, which denied being associated with the advert.

Another one was posted from a Facebook account promoting other quack medical products, such as a cream that dissolves fat. One of the devices was claimed to be approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH), which both the FDA and NIH denied.

A continuous glucose monitor is a device for diabetics to check their sugar levels at any time. It doesn’t ‘liquify fat cells, prevent lymph node blockage, preserve body nerves and tissues’ or ‘increase body energy’ as claimed in one of the adverts. A blood glucose meter pricks your finger to measure blood sugar and is given to diabetics for free by a doctor or nurse.

Breathing issues

One advert promoting an Oscillating Positive Expiratory Pressure (OPEP) device – which was to treat sinusitis, asthma, chronic coughs and colds – was posted from a Facebook account using a stock image of a doctor. The website domain linked to the ad was registered to the address in Reykjavik, our Quantum AI investigation uncovered.

OPEP devices are used to clear mucus in patients suffering from lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis. They should only be prescribed following patient assessment by a respiratory specialist nurse or physiotherapist.

Slimming patches

Four slimming weight-loss ads boasted of ‘boosting your metabolism naturally’, ‘eating away at fat cells’ and ‘increasing cognition and mental clarity.’ All the sites linked to the ad were registered to the Reykjavik address.

The adverts stated that the patches were the natural discovery of a medical student, used a transdermal fat-burning formula and helped to burn fat through reducing inflammation as well as curbing your appetite. Two claimed the patches contained mineral salt K3 and coffee extract to help you lose 20lb in 12 days.

Buyers on Trustpilot complained of not receiving orders. It’s worth knowing that weight-loss patches haven’t been proven safe or effective.

Bee venom

Three adverts promoting a bee venom cream falsely claimed it was developed by the MHRA and recommended by the British Association of Dermatologists and Allergy UK, and two were posted from Facebook accounts impersonating dermatologist Dr Emma Craythorne. All denied being associated with the bee venom cream.

Trustpilot reviewers complained of not receiving the cream or having to pay to send it back to China. One reviewer said that they had a really bad reaction and needed steroids to ease it.

Dr Craythorne told us that the claims made by these adverts, such as it curing the skin condition hidradenitis suppurativa, breaking down abnormal tissues to cure skin tags and completely removing wrinkles in one week, were complete ‘nonsense’. Some small studies show that bee venom can help wrinkles, eczema, arthritis and acne, but the claims made in these ads were highly exaggerated.

Impersonated doctors

We spoke to dermatologist Dr Emma Craythorne, who we repeatedly saw being impersonated in scam ads promoting a bee venom cream. After appearing on a global TV show that diagnoses and treats patients with skin conditions, Dr Craythorne started noticing scam ads impersonating her.

She told us: ‘One patient reached out to me, it was really quite sad. They had seen a blood glucose-monitoring device for diabetes, promoted by an account impersonating me.

'He wanted to buy it for his wife, who suffers from diabetes, and found drawing blood painful. I thought it was awful and told him that the advert had nothing to do with me. My team and I have sent Meta countless emails and it hasn’t taken them seriously. These scams target the unwell and desperate, as well as those whose family members and friends are sick.’

Why are fake health ads allowed to appear on social media?

Some of the ads we found could potentially be covered by the new Online Safety Act (OSA). This makes certain platforms – including those with user-to-user services, such as Facebook and Instagram – responsible for paid-for fraudulent advertising.

We think some of the ads spotted may fall into this category, provided certain criteria in the Act are met. The platforms will be required to implement proportionate systems and processes designed to prevent users from encountering fraudulent adverts on the service, minimise the length of time such adverts appear and swiftly take action.

However, the implementation of the OSA on most paid-for fraudulent ads for major platforms has been pushed back, so most likely won’t be in force until 2027 due to government delays. Ofcom, which enforces the OSA, also hasn’t published any guidance on how fraudulent advertising will be regulated under the Act. The delay means that people are continuing to be impacted by some of these ads.

Battling bogus health ads

Some of the adverts we found might fall outside the Act’s criteria for fraudulent advertising, but some of them may breach other legislation. This includes the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, which protect consumers from unfair or misleading practices such as advertising goods that don’t exist, as well as claiming that a product has been approved, endorsed or authorised by a public or private body.

Other ads we discovered could be in breach of rules governing the advertisement of medical products and devices. These state that an advert can only promote a medicine or medical device if it’s licensed and authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Plus, any health claims made in ads must be substantiated with robust evidence.

Adverts like these prey on vulnerable people and lure those with medical issues. Plus, all the ads we looked at led to dodgy websites that asked for personal and financial information in order to buy the health product. A risky move, considering most of them made unsubstantiated health claims, impersonated doctors or companies, or used fake endorsements.

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What do the regulators say?

Ofcom told Which? that it plans to consult on its draft Fraudulent Advertising Code by early 2026, which will set out measures that platforms can take in relation to paid-for advertising. It said that these could include the checks platforms carry out on potential advertisers before placing adverts and the action they take if they receive complaints about fraudulent advertisements.

The MHRA told us that it takes the illegal promotion of medical products and devices to the public very seriously. It reviews complaints it receives about scam advertising to the public and, where appropriate, works with other regulators.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the UK’s independent advertising regulator, works by responding to concerns from businesses and consumers regarding adverts as well as checking that ads stick to the rules. It doesn’t regulate scam ads, but it can act if an advert is making misleading medical claims. It told us it has very strict rules on ads that make medical claims and promote medical products and devices. It also said that health claims made in online adverts are a current priority for its proactive work.

What about Meta?

We contacted Meta about the ads we found that were potentially considered fraudulent advertising under the OSA. The ads had already been taken down by this point, which Meta attributed to automatic detection. The Facebook profiles posting the ads, however, were still live.

Once we shared these profiles with Meta, it removed the profiles and told us that fraudulent activity isn’t allowed on its platforms. It also said that reviewing ads from millions of advertisers globally isn’t without its challenges.

More needs to be done

Based on our investigation, it’s time to force big tech firms to devise systems that stop scams and dodgy ads from infiltrating their platforms in the first place. For every medical scam advert that’s reported and taken down, more pop up. 

This is why Ofcom must implement the OSA’s duties on paid-for fraudulent ads without further delay, as some of the ads we found may fall within the scope of the Act.

Until then, the onus is on social media users – including those who are vulnerable or desperate for help with their health – to avoid being taken in by dodgy health ads. If you or someone you know has a medical issue, only seek health advice from your GP, pharmacist or on the NHS website.

4 ways you can spot scam ads

1. You can check whether the images in the advert have been used elsewhere. Use reverse image site TinEye or Google Image Search (click the 'Search by image' icon to the right of the Google search field) 
2. Hover over a URL before clicking – does it match the company’s website?
3. Use a tool such as who.is to look up domain name registrations. A recent registration could be a sign of a scam website
4. Check if the product or medicine is approved on the MHRA website.

If you don't have the time or inclination to use these four tips, just remember this one thing – never give out personal data after clicking an ad you've seen on social media.