STATEMENT FROM MARIA SHRIVER REGARDING FRAUDULENT AI DEEPFAKE ADVERTISEMENTS AND FALSE ALZHEIMER’S SUPPLEMENT ENDORSEMENTS

Shriver Warns the Public That Deepfake Videos and Websites Falsely Using Her Image and Likeness to Promote Purported Cognitive Supplements Are “100 Percent Fake”

It has come to my attention that my image, likeness, and reputation are being used in a deepfake video and website promoting a purported supplement to people that make unproven medical claims that they help slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. It is 100 percent fake!

As soon as I was made aware that people were tricked into paying for this supplement based on my endorsement, I wanted to come out immediately to let the public know I have nothing to do with it. The nonprofit that I started—the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement at Cleveland Clinic (WAM)—also has nothing to do with it.

Unfortunately, we are seeing a proliferation of these types of scams online. It breaks my heart and enrages me that scammers are targeting the millions of people who are terrified of Alzheimer’s disease.

For the last 25 years, I have worked with the best scientists and researchers in this field to fund science and back research to try to find a cure. So much good work is being done in this space and for the first time there may be hope for many people suffering from this disease. That’s why deepfake ads like the ones that are popping up everywhere are so damaging. They are taking advantage of people’s fears and their hopes. Please know I would never endorse a product or put funds raised by WAM toward anything not backed by real science and leading researchers specializing in this area.

The good news is we are seeing unprecedented progress in brain health. It is an exciting time of hope and progress. WAM at Cleveland Clinic is committed to this progress and so am I. So please beware of such scams and falsified AI images and verify that any product is truly backed by science-based research. I urge you to be wary of such unscrupulous attempts to take advantage of your hard earned money and that offer you false hope. It’s a scam. Please do not fall for it.