MS saw on Facebook and Instagram an ad for free samples of a supposed slimming that would have made celebrities lose dozens of pounds in a few days.The posts led to a text about the benefits of the product, with photos, videos and testimonials from artists such as Alcione and Preta Gil, with a design similar to that of Gshow, Grupo Globo's entertainment website.In the text, she found the link to a website where it is possible to make a "trial subscription" to obtain "free samples" — by paying, by credit card, R$ 19.90 for shipping.She accepted the condition and entered the data hastily, so as not to miss the offer, limited by a countdown at the top of the screen."Get your free sample available for just the next few minutes and do like the thousands of women who have lost weight on lipozepine!"MS did not check the page until the end to know that a monthly subscription fee of R$ 189.90 would also be charged — an amount referring to a pot of the product plus the charge of another shipping, of R$ 49.90 —, an option that there was no way to deselect it when requesting the "free sample".The product arrived 14 days after ordering on May 27.On the same date, Aos Fatos published that the alleged lines of Preta Gil on the promotional website were, in fact, distorted and invented to promote the substance, which is not authorized in Brazil and was never consumed by her.MS went back to the Facebook posts that prompted her to buy the product and came across a false information notice.She read the check and decided not to take the drops.It was also when she saw the charge on her card statement.She tried to contact the company, with whom she was chatting on WhatsApp, but they did not respond.Acquisition.Misinformation websites redirect the user to purchase lipozepine samples.Although mentioned as free, there is a charge for shipping and monthly subscription.The free sample scam has been around since at least December 2021 and used three supplements as bait.In March, a nurse died of fulminant hepatitis associated with the consumption of slimming tea in capsules.Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency), then, focused efforts to penalize false therapies of the kind on sale in the country and included lipotramine in the list of prohibited products, in which lipotril was already.Despite the ban, both can still be found for sale on the internet.However, posts that promoted them started to be replaced on the networks by a new brand, lipozepine, which is out of Anvisa's veto list.The so-called "food supplement" has the same color packaging as lipotramine and similar composition: moro orange, green coffee and alpha-casozepine, vitamin C, and choline (a nutrient that has a similarity to B vitamins).The pattern of misinformation is repeated: the sites simulate news portals with fake artist testimonials and the link to the official product page, where it is possible to ask for supposedly free samples by providing credit card details.Disinformation network.Between December 2021 and early May 2022, Blue High Soluções, one of the companies that sells the supplements, had 6,380 complaints on the Reclame Aqui website, mostly related to lipotramine.That number jumped to 8,259 in just two weeks, when the lipozepine campaign began to circulate.The main objects of the complaints are the monthly subscription and freight charges, which can vary from R$19.90 to R$49.90.There are also those who did not receive the product.The images of vials and free sample packs of lipozepine in the internet advertisements, however, show another company as the exclusive holder of the rights to commercialize and distribute the product: BH Sol Yellow, registered since May 19 in Reclame Aqui.She has 14 complaints that resemble those of Blue High.Since January of this year, according to the São Paulo Procon, 85 complaints have been registered against Blue High, 76 of them contesting the charges.The scope of the coup is due to the disinformation campaign mounted on the networks.Aos Fatos identified 74 deceptive websites, mainly for lipozepine, driven by fake accounts on the networks.Among them there are pages that simulate reports from G1, Gshow, the newspaper O Globo and the GloboNews channel, in addition to UOL and Jornal da Band.All have doctored photos of celebrities holding vials of lipozepine, edited interviews, statements never given by artists, fake comments praising the product and the link to the official website.Fake pages.Image shows fake pages from G1 (above) and Jornal da Band (below) created to promote lipozepine.This content is promoted by a network of fake Facebook profiles and pages.Aos Fatos identified that they are divided into two operations: one part disseminates the deceptive sites and the other has profiles that simulate real users and spread reports that the product is effective — that is, that false people have managed to lose weight.To gain followers organically and not raise suspicion of fraud, fake users adopt at least three narratives: they say that their old accounts were hacked, that they lost computer data or make up the story that their parents lost their jobs, moved to another city. , never had the same life as before, and that's why they decided to create a new profile on the social network.The profiles of Sabrina Costa, who claims to be a resident of Itaperuna (RJ), and Carla Freitas, of São Leopoldo (RS), are in the group that simulates real people who claim positive experiences with lipozepine (see below).In Sabrina's account, images of the American model and digital influencer Caroline Zalog are used.Carla Freitas' profile, in turn, uses photos of the Mexican tiktoker Paulina García.fake profiles.Stories made up to fake authenticity with photos of other women (Reproduction/Facebook)All accounts use third-party photos, including international actresses and models.Karini Ramos and Mirella Bernadino's pages, for example, are among those promoting deceptive sites.The photo used on Karini's page is of Indian singer Aryanshi Sharma.On Mirella's page, images of Brazilian streamer Beatriz Vasconcelos are used.None of these real people advertised the supplements.The misleading profiles have already been taken down.Comparative.Fake profiles of Karini Ramos and Mirella Bernadino (L) use photos of singer Aryanshi Sharma and streamer Beatriz Vasconcelos (R)The structure created proved to be efficient in promoting disinformation.Google Trends, a tool that allows you to track the evolution of interest in a topic over time, shows that searches for lipozepine have grown dramatically since May 2022.Irregular situation.According to the images of the products published in the internet advertisements, lipotramine and lipozepine are produced by Guki Nutracêutica (CNPJ nº 06.789.363/0001-34), which presents itself as an outsourcing industry that manufactures according to companies' demand.The commercialization is in charge of BH Sol Yellow and Blue High Soluções.Lipotril is distributed by Bio High, and its manufacture is also outsourced, but in this case, the person responsible is CJ Marchette Indústria e Comércio de Produtos Dietéticos (CNPJ n° 15.429.097/0001-20), business name of Ekobé do Brasil , which has other registrations with the Federal Revenue (such as, for example, CNPJ No. 15.429.097/0002-00).Aside from the similar spelling of the names, the structure of the Bio High website is identical to the page where lipozepine is allegedly officially sold by BH Sol Yellow.Aos Fatos contacted the companies mentioned, and the report will be updated if there is a response.similarities.Comparison shows that the structure of the Bio High website is identical to the official website of lipozepineIn April, Anvisa published a resolution that determines the recall of all products manufactured by Guki Nutracêutica and prohibits the commercialization, distribution, manufacture and advertising.The precautionary measure was motivated by non-compliance with the rules of good manufacturing practices.Although the measure remains active, lipozepine continues to be sold and advertised on the internet.Another similar restrictive measure had been imposed by Anvisa in September 2020. At the time, the agency found that Guki Nutracêutica did not generally meet the hygienic and sanitary requirements, the presence of raw materials and expired final products, substances that could adulterate the foods they manufacture, including hormones, and other irregularities.Anvisa informs that any product with therapeutic properties, such as the promise of weight loss, can only be marketed in Brazil with authorization from the agency.The sale can only take place in pharmacies or drugstores, because these compounds are considered medicines.rights.According to Procon-SP, conditioning the free sample offer to a monthly subscription is an abusive practice.In this case, the consumer is entitled to the immediate cancellation of the subscription and the refund of the amounts paid."Consumers should immediately request the cancellation of subscription and charges and, if the company refuses, should open a complaint in Procon", guides the agency.The agency also explains that any charge, whether for freight for sending samples or for a monthly "subscription", is only legal if the information is prior, clear, precise and ostensible.The offer of supposed weight loss products also goes against good medical practices.In an interview with Aos Fatos, the president of the Obesity department at SBEM (Brazilian Society of Endocrinology and Metabology), Maria Edna de Melo, stated that the use of lipotril, lipotramine or lipozepine does not make a person lose weight."There is no proven efficacy or safety, much less evaluation of association [medical]. As it is registered as a supplement, there is no quality control to know exactly what is inside the product", says the endocrinologist.In March, SBEM and Abeso (Brazilian Association for the Study of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome) had already jointly positioned themselves against the use of "slimming formulas", either on their own or through medical prescription.The entities warned that there is no scientific evidence to justify the use of teas or supplements in the treatment of obesity, and that this approach should be abandoned.There are four drugs approved for the treatment of obesity by Anvisa, evaluated in clinical studies according to strict scientific protocols: sibutramine, orlistat, liraglutide and the combination of naltrexone and bupropion, the latter not yet marketed in Brazil.According to the specialized societies, these drugs should only be used under medical supervision, and the prescription should be associated with guidelines for lifestyle changes.10. Sanitary Surveillance of Santa Catarina