Giving My Own Personal Observations of Fake Doctors on Instagram (and Why I'm Report-Blocking Them)

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Right now, the end of August 2026 is near. Last time, I ranted about how incredibly annoying these fake doctors are. Now, I decided to write an "update" for the sake of it. Right now, I'd like to give my personal opinion based on my observations about these fake doctors. It's important to observe that these fake doctors are based on an outrage algorithm, pushing against the mainstream, claiming that they have some "secret knowledge", and that there's this "secret supplement" you can have you comment on their video. Now, it's time to look at the common trend and why I think these fake doctors may be produced by a few people rather than many. 

What things are in common with these fake doctors? Take note that this isn't a complete checklist, but a checklist of some red flags to look out. But based on my observation as someone involved in business, here's my observation:

1. Many of them present a kindly image of an old woman, old man, young man, a Native American, a Buddhist monk, etc., who claims to have found a secret that "doctors don't want you to know", because the clinics could "run out of money".
2. Many of them have "doctors" who claim to have multiple specialties but, allegedly, nobody knew about them.
3. Many of them speak in a near-monotonous AI voice that somehow gives off, "Oops, this is a scam!" However, any desperate person may ignore it. It gets more frustrating when you realize the person who fell for it rejected a legitimate surgery that was deemed "too expensive" but may be willing to buy an overpriced "supplement" that has no proven medical benefits.
4. Many times, the "bogus health advice" gets repeated across several fake doctors on Instagram. 
5. Many of them endorse this Yerba supplement, which I heard is a "secret product" that can never be bought in any legitimate pharmacy. I'm not going to risk trying to buy Yerba. Hopefully, there can be buy-busts to at least help greatly decrease the influence.

Not surprising are the overpriced, dangerous supplements!

Here's a tragedy of someone who fell into the fake doctor scam online. What's sad is that this Futurism article by Frank Landymore says Meta is somehow letting it happen. So much for Meta's frustrations when it comes to link sharing, huh? 

A 71-year-old named Pamela Wundrow told the NYT that she bought a supplement called moringa to treat her symptoms related to autoimmune disease after seeing ads for it on Facebook from a company called Rosabella. 

Months after she started taking the pills daily, federal regulators announced a recall for Rosabella’s moringa supplement because some of its contaminated pills were sickening people with salmonella.

Wundrow said she didn’t experience salmonella symptoms, but claims her health got worse as she took the supplement.

“They’re targeting us people that have health issues,” Wundrow told the paper.

Right now, I can only expect these fake AI videos to create more of them. I might see this male doctor, female doctor, Amish old woman, Buddhist monk, Taoist priest, etc. say, "They are after us because we have the key to destroy the profiteering hospitals and big pharmacies. Thankfully, this brave old woman that even if she didn't get Salmonella symptoms--her health got worse. Talk about a dangerous rip-off scam. I believe Pamela, the brave old woman, was willing to speak up after she was scammed.

What's even more is that the Communicable Disease Agency in Singapore, has given this warning, which I'll skip the seventh item since it doesn't serve my purpose here, at the same time to let you read the whole warning on their website last March 1, 2026, but some people still fall for the scam anyway:

1. The Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) and Health Sciences Authority (HSA) are aware of a recall in the US of specific lots of Rosabella brand moringa powder capsules by Ambrosia Brands LLC due to the possible contamination by Salmonella in the affected products. So far, seven Salmonellosis cases in the US have been linked to the affected product, with three hospitalisations and no deaths. The Salmonella Newport strain associated with the cases is extensively drug-resistant.
2. The product was listed for sale on some e-commerce platforms in Singapore and has since been taken down following HSA’s instructions to the platform administrators to remove them if the specific lots were found. HSA has also alerted the Health Supplements Industry Association Singapore to inform their members of the affected lots of this product and to stop selling them if they are currently doing so.
3. To date, there are no reported cases in Singapore of extensively drug-resistant Salmonella associated with the consumption of the affected Rosabella brand moringa powder capsules. Salmonellosis is a notifiable disease under the Infectious Diseases Act. CDA has alerted hospitals and is conducting surveillance with them to monitor for potential extensively drug-resistant Salmonella cases. HSA is monitoring if there are any local adverse events relating to this issue.
4. Consumers are advised to immediately stop taking the affected lots of the product and dispose of the product safely by placing them in a sealed bag with general household waste. They should not open the capsules or flush them down toilets and drains. Any surfaces or containers that have come into contact with the product should be carefully cleaned and sanitised to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. Those who are unwell with symptoms of Salmonella infection after consuming Rosabella brand moringa powder capsules should seek medical advice promptly.
5. Extensively drug-resistant Salmonella is resistant to multiple key antibiotics, leading to limited treatment options and increased risk of severe complications. Symptoms of Salmonella infection typically include fever, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps. Symptoms usually develop six to 72 hours after consumption and can last four to seven days. Some people, especially older adults aged 65 and above, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems, may experience more severe illnesses that require medical treatment or hospitalisation. 
6. The affected Rosabella brand moringa powder capsules have been labelled to support sleep, healthy joints and energy level. In general, moringa supplements (derived from Moringa oleifera leaves) are marketed for their vitamins, proteins and antioxidants content. While this brand does not specifically advertise for specific groups, moringa supplements may be used by elderly individuals and pregnant or lactating women as natural supplements.

My own take on these as an ordinary citizen

I'm no detective or medical expert. Thankfully, medical experts are speaking out against these malicious videos. My own speculation (which, please, don't take it as medical truth; ask a doctor if you want to have my speculation verified) is that many of these fake supplements use cheap, dangerous ingredients and are sold for an unreasonable price because of their "premium value".  My take is that these fake ingredients might include dangerous fungus, molds, etc., things that can potentially harm when ingested. 

Basically, the process of producing medicine is highly regulated. The very environment needs strict protocols because one wrong move could infect the mixture. However, I believe that these scammers just mish-mash everything like a tribal witch doctor, wrap int fancily, and then claim they have discovered this "miracle cure". Claims like you can get rid of body toxic through your feet (which is actually just dirt that accumulated under the sole of the foot), melt fat that fast, improve one's health in X days, etc. Remember, just like in finance, if a claim's too good to be true, it certainly is and it's a scam!