Online "ghost stores" target shoppers with weight loss treatment scam

Scammers are expanding their operations into the weight loss business, masquerading as Australian firms to offer Ozempic-like weight loss treatments.

Guardian Australia has uncovered a new scam targeting people who are trying to lose weight. Crooks pose as famous dietitians or impersonate real people to sell fake products – which could not only be useless, but might pose a real danger to buyers’ health.

Amid the massive popularity of drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, many people flocked to websites to find pills, supplements, or a similar alternative claiming to mimic their weight loss effect.

Scammers are making use of this demand – for instance, a Facebook page called “Emma Davis” posing as a “team of specialists in diabetes care and weight management” advertised a product it claimed was a “GLP-1 plant-based oral solution.” GLP-1 is a hormone produced in the body that plays a role in blood sugar control and appetite regulation.

The ad featured testimonials and AI-generated “before and after” photos of those who allegedly used the product. It included claims that the product was perfect for “anyone who’s tried GLP-1 drops or injections without much result” or those with a big appetite.

According to The Guardian, the ad was filled with hopeful comments and laudatory testimonials. But a reverse image search conducted by the publication showed that the images belonged to real women who had no idea of their photos being used in that way.

The Guardian cites dietitian Lyndi Cohen, whose image was used without her consent to advertise the product. The ad linked to the website Maementcurves.com, which said it was “especially endorsed by Lyndi Cohen, one of Australia’s leading dietitians.”

The site also claimed that the product was made in Australia by a local family-owned company, however, according to The Guardian, it was already available everywhere, from AliExpress to eBay, as well as on a few ‘ghost stores’. The page related to the product appears to have since been taken down, although the site remained active as of Friday.

Guardian Australia purchased the product for $46 on July 23rd, using PayPal – no shipping notification has been sent yet.

The Consumer Action Law Centre’s legal practice director, Stephen Nowicki, suggested that digital platforms should be held responsible for fake advertising that appears on their sites.

For example, fake ads were recently spotted on Facebook impersonating the generative video service, Kling AI, and trying to trick users into generating content and downloading malicious files.

A new malvertising campaign was also caught on Google, with cybercriminals impersonating DeepSeek, a popular artificial intelligence model, using sponsored search results.

“We are getting so used to sponsored Google search results being abused by criminals that we advise people not to click on them,” Malwarebytes Labs said in an advisory.