Sam Elliott COPD Medication Scam: Fake Ads Cost Victims Hundreds—Here’s How to Protect Yourself
Fraudsters used the ‘Landman’ star's face in fake ads—here's how to stay safe
Recently, rumors have been swirling online that Landman star Sam Elliott has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Some people even claim to have seen the 81-year-old actor promoting a medication for the disease, only to learn that it’s a scam. Below, we share what you need to know about the Sam Elliott COPD scam, including how to protect yourself.
What to know about the Sam Elliott COPD scam
In November 2025, a woman named Fran Wons, who suffers from COPD, told Chicago 5, “The ad had NBC News on it, with Sam Elliott talking about a lung cure from a doctor who a friend of his knew. I figured, OK, Channel 5 News, it can’t be a scam.”
Wons then spent $39.99 to receive the medication and was charged $59.99.
“The next morning I found out my account was wiped out,” said Wons. “It all totaled up to $299.”
And in the end, Wons didn’t even get the medications. Instead she got six bottles of supplements for “gluco control” and a “smart cleanse.” It was also revealed that the ad she saw with Elliott wasn’t even real—it was a scam story made to entice people into buying their product.
Thankfully, Wons was able to get her money back, something that she said meant “everything.”
“I only get $300 a month, and it pays my bills,” she continued.
As of publication, neither Elliott nor the company Wons purchased the medication from has commented on the scam. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, where the ad was primarily seen, told Chicago 5, “We have investigated the ads that NBC has flagged and disabled the accounts and Pages behind them for violating our Unacceptable Business Practices policy.”
“Scammers are relentless and constantly evolve their tactics to try to evade detection,” the tech company continued. “We continually invest in building new technical defenses to strengthen our detection and enforcement capabilities against this industry-wide issue. Since the start of the year [2025] our expert teams have detected and disrupted close to 8 million accounts associated with scam centers.”
How to keep yourself safe from celebrity scams
When it comes to celebrity scams, there are several ways to protect yourself. The first is to check that the person supposedly promoting a product is actually a paid spokesperson. If so, you’ll find information on the manufacturer’s website and likely on social media posts made by the celebrity or the manufacturer.
“Today, there are nearly 500,000 public figures who are being protected from having their likeness misused in these scams,” Meta says.
The second thing you can do is make sure that the product being touted actually exists. A quick Google search will help you find that information. (You may also find that people online are talking about this product or even calling it out as a scam.)
Finally if you are affected by a scam, you have legal protections. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends reaching out to law enforcement to help you get your money back.
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