Paula Bennett: Weight loss scam using my image and name targets the insecure

A company has fabricated a story about Paula Bennett to entice people to buy its weight loss product. Photo / Dean Purcell

Opinion

OPINION

I am being scammed. Actually, it is worse than that. My endorsement, image and name are being used to scam others. People are handing over hundreds of dollars because I have supposedly endorsed a weight loss product.

I have spoken many times and have written about my weight loss experience in this column before. After many years of being overweight and, unfortunately, my weight going up not down I had weight loss surgery. It is a lifetime commitment and is not an easy answer. I still have side effects if I eat the wrong thing, or too quickly, or too much. I have also never felt better, healthier and fitter – not something I thought I would say at 53 years old.

I am an ambassador for a company called SRW Laboratories and I do attribute a portion of my wellness to their products. Before signing a contract, I investigated the company thoroughly – I was proud to put my name alongside theirs.

The company which is illegally using me to convince others to go for a "quick fix" weight loss solution knows exactly what it is doing. It has uploaded the most flattering and not-so-flattering images of me to show what this so-called miracle product has done. It has written a long endorsement telling a completely fabricated story about my life and what this product did to save me (for the record, my husband didn't leave me because I was a fat pig – he seems hellbent on staying around, thank goodness).

Supposedly just one teaspoon of this product can lead to you losing 31kg.

Many of you will be reading this and asking how could people be so stupid as to buy this product. The claims are unbelievable but I would venture to say that none of you has been through the emotional and physical trauma that being overweight can cause.

At first, I didn't think anyone would believe it. Then I remembered how insecure being overweight made me. How I desperately looked for answers and beat myself up daily for the poor choices I made and my lack of self-control. The company is completely playing on people's vulnerabilities. It is cruel and I am genuinely sorry for those who have been taken in by it.

If I endorse something then I will do it on my own social media platforms and in a direct and honest way. It is the old adage – if it seems to be too good to be true then it isn't.

Paula Bennett is a former Deputy Prime Minister and National Party politician who now works at Bayleys Real Estate as national director-customer engagement.

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