Beware diet supplement scams using Dragons’ Den “investment stories” as bait

ByCraig Haley

Spam links spreading on Facebook are luring users to spoof news articles about weight loss products that, according to the articles, featured on the TV show The Dragon’s Den.

Weight loss supplements are continually one of the most exploited topics on the Internet and are often used to lure victims to nefarious websites. And this latest scheme involves using compromised Facebook accounts to tag friends in posts that show “before and after” pictures to lure those users into visiting suspect websites.

Posts like the one below are appearing on Facebook –

A month ago, I could not have imagined that I would have changed so much. Now my pants are two sizes bigger. I’m going to buy new clothes. really do. Thanks for the recommendation from a colleague.>>

These posts appear to have been published by friends, but actually their accounts have been compromised. Such posts link to spoof media articles, like the one below that takes the guise of the UK’s Mail Online.

Is this a Mail Online article about a person called Isabelle Thorpe going onto the Dragons’ Den TV show with a natural weight loss supplement? No. That never happened and this article is fake – it’s an impostor website. As always we recommend looking at the web address which is a sure giveaway.


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The webpage and “news story” has been created by cyber-crooks and is used as a way to recruit victims. That’s right – Isabelle Thorpe doesn’t really exist. The photo is actually of a woman called Polly Gotschi who went onto Dragons’ Den to promote a make-up product, not a weight-loss supplement. You can see below how the photo was crudely altered to fit the crook’s purpose.

Fake media articles about products being featured on popular TV shows is one of several ways crooks try and trick victims into purchasing worthless weight loss subscriptions. In this case the website was linking to a product called PRIMA (not to be confused with the UK health Magazine Prima) which is a name often attributed to weight loss subscription scams which are infamously difficult to cancel and full of hidden costs.


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Of course the names of the products, as well as the names used in the fake media stories above will all change as these scams evolve. But there will always be red flags. Some tips to avoiding these scams –

  • Beware of unrealistic claims about weight loss on the Internet, including claims that peddle drastic and easy weight loss in short periods of time.
  • Instead of listening to claims on the Internet, speak to a doctor or nutritionist to help with weight loss.
  • Beware of unsolicited and suspicious messages that link to weight loss websites, even if they appear to come from a friend (their account may have been compromised by crooks.)
  • Claims that certain products have been featured in news reports or TV programs are usually fake, and use spoof webpages like the example above.
  • Always read the small print to see exactly what you’re signing up for. Often the schemes lure people in with small upfront costs but you’re actually going to be billed larger amounts every month.