Original article (in Serbian) was published on 17/11/2023; Author: Milica Ljubičić
A German doctor who advertises a miraculous supplement that solves joint problems and a Norwegian doctor who praises a preparation for treating diabetes at home are just two of the numerous advertisements for supplements that you can come across on some of the web portals in Serbia. Both of these ads are fake. Both lead to the site buditezdravi.net, which offers these two products at a supposedly discounted price of 1,490 dinars. They also have in common that they are advertised by renowned doctors and users who do not actually exist.
While scrolling through media web portals, we often find sites that offer visitors various preparations for weight loss, joints, and diabetes, all endorsed by fictional doctors, experts and satisfied users.
This time, we came across two advertisements on the website buzitezdravi.net – one selling a supplement for joints, and the other promoting a remedy for diabetes.
“Forbidden discovery: These four natural ingredients instantly remove pain in the joints, regenerate cartilage tissue” – reads the title of the text on the website buditezdravi.net, promoting a supplement for addressing joint issues.
In order to convince readers of the effectiveness of the remedy, they feature an interview with Dr. Mihaela Sander, described as a seasoned general practitioner, educator, professor, and prominent figure with more than four decades of medical expertise.
“We developed a new product with the help of the latest technologies and now we have a unique solution that will help patients even in the most difficult stages of arthritis, arthrosis and other joint diseases”, claims this doctor, introducing the Immuno Flex+ supplement.
In an effort to convince readers to purchase this supplement, they point out its other supposedly miraculous properties. Beyond joint benefits, they claim that it provides overall body healing, boosts the immune system, reduces blood sugar in diabetics, and enhances sleep and digestion. The text claims, “None of the participants in the trial developed a viral disease in the years after using Immuno Flex,” but without any concrete evidence of the nature of the trial.
They claim to have approval from the Ministry of Health, yet that their product is unavailable in pharmacies. The implication is that it possesses universal healing properties, and pharmacies hesitate to carry it for fear of losing business.
Mihaela Sander apparently does not exist. Despite the text presenting her as a globally renowned doctor, there’s no trace of her on the internet. The photo supposedly showing Sander is in fact that of the Russian doctor Elena Malysheva.
The fictional doctor emphasizes that the supplement is exclusively available through online orders and advises readers not to “waste time” as they “won’t get a second chance.”
“No one knows how long this program will last or how many packs of Immuno Flex will be available”. Thus, the site buditezdravi.net is selling this supplement at an allegedly 80 percent lower price, and “today” for 1,490 dinars for another 18 minutes. However, whenever you visit the site, it consistently displays the same countdown, – that there are 18 minutes left for shopping at a discounted price.
The availability of Imuno Flex is not limited to a single site, as it can be found on various other online platforms. However, its approval status in Serbia remains uncertain, given that the Ministry of Health’s list of authorized dietary products was last updated in 2018.
The second ad we came across also leads to the website buditezdravi.net, which this time imitates the appearance of a media site under the name “Voice”. This time, “Norwegian doctor Edvard Knut reveals that diabetes does not exist in Norway”, and then offers Cimethrom, a supplement that helps you “get rid of diabetes at home”.
He explains that this preparation is difficult to find in pharmacies because it is produced in small quantities.
Then, this alleged doctor says that they have decided to offer readers Cimethrom for an 80 percent discount, so its price is 1,490 dinars for another nine minutes.
The websites asserts that Edvard Kunt is considered to be “the best specialist for the treatment of diabetes around the world”, and that all famous people suffering from diabetes from various countries, including Serbia, are trying “to book a consultation with him”. However, a search combining his first and last name in combination with “doctor”, “endocrinologist”, and “Norway” did not produce satisfactory results, strongly suggesting that he is a fictitious doctor. It seems implausible that someone who claims to be the author of 32 scientific books and a world-renowned endocrinologist would be untraceable through a Google search.
The photo that supposedly shows Edvard Kunt is actually doctor Kjell Vaage who operates a clinic in the Canary Islands, and apparently has nothing to do with this product.
Beyond the fictitious doctors, the user testimonies are also fabricated, which we established by finding their photos on various websites and for different purposes.
It is also not clear whether this supplement has been approved for use by the Ministry of Health.
It’s not the first time that the site buditezdravi.net has been on our radar due to the sale of supplements, the miraculous products of which are testified by fictional doctors and users. No information about who is behind it can be found on it.
The lack of detailed information on the buditezdravi.net site, including its address, contact phone number, responsible person, or company name, raises suspicions of its authenticity. The site’s content, presented as journalistic articles, appears limited, and regardless of the section clicked, it consistently directs users to the product purchase page, reinforcing the notion that its primary purpose is product sales.