Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Tom Hanks has warned about unauthorized advertisements using AI-generated versions of his face, name, and voice. The warnings covered at least two separate incidents: a fake dental-plan advertisement in October 2023 and online ads for purported medical products in August 2024. Hanks did not endorse those offers.
The phrase “stealing his face” is headline shorthand. The available evidence shows digital impersonation—not that Hanks’s physical identity was literally stolen. The same tactics can be used to imitate anyone, including doctors, relatives, employers, financial advisers, and government officials.
What Tom Hanks actually warned about
In October 2023, Hanks posted a warning about an AI-generated version of him promoting a dental plan. He said he had nothing to do with the advertisement. ABC News reported the warning, describing a digitally manipulated version of Hanks’s likeness.
In August 2024, Hanks issued another warning about multiple online advertisements falsely using his name, likeness, and voice to promote purported “miracle cures” and “wonder drugs.” He told followers not to be fooled or swindled. ABC News covered that warning.
#1 Best Overall
These reports do not establish that every ad used the same software, or that the exact production method for each advertisement was independently verified. A scam may combine a generated face, cloned speech, lip-syncing, edited footage, or a still image with text. The result can look like an endorsement even when the celebrity never recorded or approved it.
How the fake endorsement works
- Recognition lowers skepticism. A familiar celebrity face creates an instant sense of credibility.
- A familiar voice reinforces the illusion. Voice cloning or edited audio can make fabricated words sound authentic.
- A high-risk claim creates urgency. Medical, financial, investment, and cryptocurrency offers often promise unusually fast or guaranteed results.
- A social-media ad provides distribution. Placement on a major platform does not mean the platform endorses the product or verified the celebrity’s participation.
- The link leads to the money-making stage. It may collect contact details, payment information, medical data, or recurring subscription charges. Some campaigns generate leads for unknown operators rather than taking payment immediately.
The FCC cited an unauthorized video using Hanks’s voice to promote dental plans as an example of an AI-enabled scam and consumer deception in its 2023 AI robocall inquiry. Read the FCC statement.
Deepfake does not always mean a perfect synthetic video
“Deepfake” is a broad consumer term. The manipulation might involve:
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
- face replacement or facial synthesis;
- AI-generated or cloned speech;
- automated lip-syncing;
- a real interview edited into a new commercial context; or
- a synthetic image paired with fabricated testimonials and a fake landing page.
Some scams use only a photograph and convincing copy. Others use a human actor, with no generative AI at all. Viewers usually cannot determine the exact technology from the finished advertisement, so visual inspection should not be treated as proof.
Red flags to check before clicking
- The endorsement appears only in a paid social-media ad or on an unfamiliar website.
- The celebrity’s verified accounts, official website, or representatives do not mention the product.
- The offer promises a “miracle,” “secret,” “guaranteed,” or immediate result.
- The product involves medicine, supplements, investments, cryptocurrency, or financial services.
- The page pressures you to act immediately with a countdown timer or limited-time warning.
- The video has awkward lip-syncing, unnatural blinking, odd teeth, inconsistent lighting, or distorted hands.
- The landing page uses fake news branding, counterfeit logos, or invented testimonials.
- The seller requests cryptocurrency, gift cards, wire transfers, or another unusual payment method.
- The site hides recurring billing, trial-period terms, or cancellation instructions.
- The form asks for excessive personal, financial, or medical information.
These visual clues can help, but they are not a dependable detection test. Better-generated material may have none of them, while ordinary video compression can create similar artifacts.
A safer verification sequence
- Do not use the advertisement’s link to investigate it. That link is controlled by the party making the claim.
- Search for the company and product independently. Add terms such as “scam,” “complaint,” and “refund.”
- Check the celebrity’s verified accounts and official representatives. Remember that a hacked or compromised account is possible, and silence alone is not conclusive proof of fraud.
- For medical products, confirm the seller, licensing, regulatory status, and legitimate retail or pharmacy channels where applicable.
- Read the complete billing terms, including recurring charges and trial periods.
- Use a payment method that offers dispute protections.
- Do not send money because a celebrity-looking video creates urgency.
The FTC advises independently verifying suspicious claims using contact information found through a trusted source rather than relying on the message, caller ID, or its links.
Rank #3
Why medical deepfake ads are especially dangerous
A fake medical endorsement can do more than waste money. It may encourage someone to delay appropriate treatment, buy a counterfeit or unapproved product, disclose health information, or enroll in recurring charges. The advertisements’ claims should not be treated as medical evidence merely because they appear alongside Hanks’s face or voice.
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallCrashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteIf you already paid or shared information
Act quickly
- Contact your card issuer or bank immediately and ask whether the transaction can be reversed.
- Cancel recurring billing with both the seller and the payment provider.
- Change any password reused on the site, especially for email, banking, or shopping accounts.
- Monitor card, bank, email, and identity-theft activity.
- Save screenshots, the URL, ad copy, receipts, messages, and transaction details.
- Report the fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- If you shared sensitive identity information, use IdentityTheft.gov for recovery guidance.
- If you sent cryptocurrency, contact the exchange or wallet provider immediately, although recovery may be difficult.
Be wary of anyone who contacts you promising to recover the money for an upfront fee. Victims of one impersonation scam are often targeted by follow-up “refund” or “recovery” scams. The FTC defines impersonation scams as attempts to pose as someone else to obtain money, account access, or personal information.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.The legal and regulatory limits
Rights involving a person’s name, image, voice, likeness, publicity interests, copyright, trademarks, and contracts vary by jurisdiction and by the details of the use. There is no single rule that automatically resolves every celebrity deepfake.
The FTC has said AI-generated deepfakes and voice cloning can intensify impersonation fraud. In February 2024, it proposed expanding its impersonation protections to cover impersonation of individuals, rather than focusing only on governments and businesses. See the FTC proposal.
Lawmakers and federal policy documents have also cited the fake Hanks dental endorsement as an example of unauthorized digital replication. That does not, by itself, prove who produced a particular advertisement, whether a named company authorized it, or how many people lost money.
The FTC reported $3.5 billion in reported losses to impersonation scams in 2025. That figure represents reports received by the agency, not the total amount lost by all victims. Read the FTC’s data release.
Best Value
What remains unverified
The public warnings establish that unauthorized ads used Hanks’s identity, but they do not establish every detail readers may see repeated online. The available evidence does not identify a single confirmed advertiser behind all of the campaigns, verify the exact AI tools used, establish a specific number of victims, or prove that a particular company knowingly benefited.
A legitimate company can use a celebrity’s likeness under license, and a disclaimer saying “AI-generated” would not automatically make a false endorsement or deceptive health claim lawful. Conversely, an ad’s appearance on a major platform is not proof that the platform knowingly approved it.
The broader lesson
Do not ask only whether Tom Hanks’s face looks real. Ask whether the offer can be independently verified, whether the seller is legitimate, and whether the payment and medical claims make sense without the celebrity attached.
A face or voice is not authentication. Treat celebrity endorsements—especially those involving health or money—as unverified until confirmed through a trusted source outside the advertisement.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
