Internet Hospital Video Consultation Food-as-Medicine High-Price Scam: Prescribing ordinary food as a treatment course under the guise of video consultations, charging thousands to tens of thousands per cycle.

Who Gets Targeted

Primarily middle-aged and elderly individuals with chronic conditions, especially those suffering from long-term issues like hypertension, diabetes, and insomnia, as well as children seeking medical help for their elders. They often have low ability to distinguish internet medical qualifications and possess an inherent trust in platforms. Due to the difficulty of queuing for appointments at large hospitals, they pin their hopes on one-on-one video consultations with remote doctors. They prioritize natural, side-effect-free treatments and are overly trusting of white coats, ID badges, certificates, and claims of years of clinical experience. Under constant pressure from repurchase and after-sales scripts, they continue to add thousands to tens of thousands of yuan to their treatment costs.

骗局怎么运作

• Traffic funneling: Massive deployment of content on short-video platforms, WeChat private domains, and search results featuring expert medical advice, chronic patient case studies, and Q&A, using anxiety-inducing keywords like hypertension, diabetes, and insomnia as hooks. Users are guided to live streams or mini-programs to leave phone numbers for 'free one-on-one consultations' or 'expert treatment plans,' lowering user guard while acquiring leads at a low cost.
• Disguise of legitimate qualifications: The platform homepage displays screenshots of business registrations, internet hospital licenses, and photos of experts affiliated with hospitals. So-called 'health consultants' wearing white coats and fake ID badges conduct video consultations under the names of 'Dr. X' or 'Director X.' They emphasize institutional compliance and expert presence to trick users into believing it is a legitimate internet hospital without verifying their professional registration information.
• Pre-consultation recharge barriers: Patients are guided into app or mini-program video rooms, where they are forced to recharge thousands to tens of thousands of yuan for 'treatment cards' or 'membership fees' as a prerequisite for consumption. The script creates psychological sunk costs by claiming that without recharging, prescriptions cannot be issued or discounts applied, locking the patient into a multi-cycle purchase.
• Food passed off as medicine, 'one-size-fits-all' prescriptions: The backend uses templates to generate 'expert prescriptions,' but the actual products shipped are ordinary foods or health supplements labeled as pressed candies, solid beverages, or herbal teas, not National Medicine Standard drugs. Multiple patients receive nearly identical packages that do not match the expert formulas shown in videos, with prices inflated to thousands of yuan per cycle, far exceeding the cost of ingredients.
• Blocking skepticism and pushing repurchases: When patients find the treatment ineffective or question the product, the after-sales team uses scripts claiming that the body needs three courses to see results, that 'dampness' hasn't been expelled, or that one should focus on efficacy rather than packaging. They delay refunds and push for more purchases by offering to 'change the formula' or 'upgrade the expert.' Those who insist on refunds are blacklisted or moved to a 'silent customer' pool.
• Evidence destruction and brand rotation: Before regulatory intervention or public outcry, the platform deletes consultation video replays, removes product pages, and deregisters associated companies, only to rebrand and start over. Patients are left with only shipping labels and food packaging, making it difficult to obtain electronic medical records or prescriptions, which hinders legal recourse.
• Complaint suppression: For customers who complain aggressively, the platform offers partial refunds conditional on signing non-disclosure agreements or provides staggered returns to avoid mass legal action or media exposure. By continuously acquiring new customers and filtering out those who demand rights, they minimize the concentration of complaints and the probability of criminal evidence collection.

红旗信号（看到这些快跑）

• 🚩 Video consultations require large pre-recharges for treatment cards, with the claim that no prescription or delivery will occur without payment.
• 🚩 The products received are labeled as pressed candies, solid beverages, or herbal teas rather than having a National Medicine Standard (Guoyao Zhunzi) approval number.
• 🚩 The same 'treatment package' is given to all patients regardless of individual condition, constitution, or test results.
• 🚩 So-called health consultants only provide aliases and ID numbers, which cannot be found on the National Health Commission's physician registration database.
• 🚩 The platform claims affiliation with a top-tier hospital but refuses to provide cooperation agreements or proof of multi-site practice registration, citing 'internal documents.'
• 🚩 Promises of absolute medical results, such as 'curing' chronic diseases, which violates laws regarding drug and medical advertising.
• 🚩 The platform changes its brand name and business license after public complaints while keeping the same team, scripts, and shipping channels.

真实案例

• In July 2026, Sina Finance exposed the 'Guyitang' health consultant scheme: Consumers were scammed by fake TCM practitioners, paying thousands or tens of thousands for products marketed as 'medicine-food homology' that were actually just solid beverages. Multiple complaints targeted Guyitang Health Technology Group Co., Ltd. for selling ordinary food as high-priced medical treatments.
• In July 2026, Sina Finance reported that a consumer named Li Yong paid a total of 37,000 yuan under the promise of treating male health issues, with no effect. Reporters found that most products were ordinary foods, such as 'Tea Tree Flower Probiotic Solid Beverage' and 'Ginger Jujube Mulberry Solid Beverage,' sold by Guyitang.
• In April 2026, Oriental Finance reported that a team claiming to be from Tongrentang sold 'maintenance products' under the guise of expert follow-up consultations. It was later confirmed that both the expert identities and the product manufacturers were fake. This exposed a black-market method of using the reputation of century-old brands to sell non-official products.
• In the first half of 2026, market regulators nationwide handled 1,666 illegal medical advertising cases, with fines totaling 12.78 million yuan. Many involved false advertising in internet hospital video consultations, where ordinary food was prescribed as medicine. (Source: https://ennet.cc/article/19619.html)

Official Stance

• On August 5, 2026, the China Consumers Association issued a warning via Xinhua News, highlighting the traps in private-domain medical advertising and naming internet medical platforms that use private traffic to sell products through deceptive consultations.
• On August 8, 2025, CCTV Health Channel aired an investigation titled 'Fake Doctors Created with Fake Props and Certificates,' exposing how hospital ID badges and practice certificates are bought and sold, allowing unqualified consultants to pose as physicians.
• In April 2026, health authorities in multiple regions issued bans prohibiting medical staff from conducting unauthorized science popularization or product endorsements on internet platforms. CCTV's 'Economic Half-Hour' exposed the chaos surrounding 'influencer doctors.'

How to Protect Yourself

• ✅ Verify the doctor's actual registration and multi-site practice status on the National Health Commission's physician registration website. Check the platform's license on local internet hospital approval systems; do not trust the platform's self-reported credentials.
• ✅ Check the product packaging for a National Medicine Standard (Guoyao Zhunzi) number. If it is labeled as pressed candy, solid beverage, herbal tea, or health supplement, it has no therapeutic effect. Do not purchase multiple cycles based on 'treatment prices' or 'membership discounts.'
• ✅ Refuse to recharge large amounts for treatment cards or membership fees before a consultation. Legitimate internet hospitals do not require pre-payment as a condition for issuing prescriptions or delivering medicine.
• ✅ Preserve electronic evidence: Save screenshots of consultations, chat logs, payment receipts, product packaging, and shipping labels. File complaints via 12315, 12320, or local health and market regulatory departments. File a lawsuit for civil fraud if necessary.