The formula is known to scammers. Sell a product associated with the image of a celebrity. And since it works for them, they tend to put it into practice more and more. On this occasion, a website has used the image of Pablo Ojeda without his consent to sell a slimming product whose marketing is completely illegal in Spain.
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The fraud. The marketing company claimed that with just a few drops, buyers would lose 5 kilos in just one week. A pack of 4 cans cost 117 euros.
- Pablo Ojedanutritionist and collaborator of the program ‘Más Vale Tarde’, found out that his image had been used without his permission to promote the miraculous product: it appeared as a claim on a page that pretended to be a RTVE news portal to give it greater credibility.
- “I start receiving messages for Instagram asking me the effectiveness of the drops“This is how Ojeda explains it. His response, surprised account, was to ask ‘what drops?‘. In the program Más Vale Tarde, where he was interviewed, he has recounted that he has already put it in the hands of the authorities: “It has already been reported to the National Police, because I have to protect my image.”
What do the experts say? According to the experts consulted by La Sexta, these types of products are not effective: “We really cannot try to make our patients fall into the error of believing in this type of product. All those who are overweight should see their doctors to address it holistically, with all the cardiovascular risk factors and their obesity problem being treated appropriately, and not let them try to get benefits from products that are not miracle, that They are expensive and the amounts are probably misleading and there is no scientific evidence to support the use of these natural extract products. The pillar of treatment for obesity is a change in lifestyle, increasing physical activity and adapting eating habits to a heart-healthy pattern,” says the endocrine Sharona Azriel.
- In fact, on the Facebook page of the product, dozens of people affected have written comments doubting the effectiveness of the IdealFit drops: “The product is useless. I took 4 cans and not even half a kilo”, “I finished 5 bottles, and nothing, it’s a lie”, “it doesn’t give results, give me my money back”.
Government alert. From the Ministry of Consumption, in response to a question from La Sexta, they confirm that the product is not legal: “This product would not be legally marketed in Spain as it had not complied with the notification process for placing it on the market before or in the time of marketing as required by article 9 of Royal Decree 1487/2009”.
familiar faces. Another of the familiar faces that appears on the page as a claim to sell the IdelaFit drops is that of Irene Villa. But her photo appears with a label with another name, that of Diana Murillo; and suddenly turned into a doctor, endocrinologist and nutritionist. Even that of Iñaki López.
- They also associated the image of Alberto Chicote with a product to lose weight, Reduslim. They used his image without his consent for some pills that were neither sold by doctors nor could be purchased in pharmacies. In a tense call with one of the sellers, he uncovers all the lies and stands up to them: “I am the person that you are using illegally and fraudulently to sell your product. Is that a promotion problem? Excuse me sir, that’s called crime”.
- Itziar Castro He responded via Twitter to a follower who alerted him that they were impersonating his identity to sell slimming products: “I know and I always ask that when you see it you report the publication. It’s a fraud!”
In the hands of the police. The case of the IdealFit drops is already in the hands of the police. “The identity theft of this person would be part of the deception, it is one of the elements of the criminal type of the scam,” says Alejandro Palomino, Chief Inspector of Cybercrime of the National Police.
At the moment the page is still active, although thanks to Más Vale Tarde, it has already managed to stop its distribution in Spain.
