Many victims were scammed out of tens of millions of dong by weight loss clinics in Ho Chi Minh City, but their weight remained the same. The methods of these clinics are very similar to those of foreign clinics as reported by the press.
Ms. L. came to Tuoi Tre newspaper to report that she had lost 28 million VND to lose weight but her weight remained the same - Photo: THUY DUONG
Dieting and exercising only reduce weight slowly, so just by listening to attractive advertisements such as "just 60 minutes to have a slim waist", "body clearly reduces from 5 - 10kg", "fat in the area reduces that area"... many people have been "trapped" by untrustworthy weight loss facilities...
Car comes to pick up people at home to lose weight
Many readers reported to Tuoi Tre Online that there are many attractive weight loss advertisements online. As soon as readers show interest, they will be contacted immediately by staff from these advertising agencies.
Like the case of Ms. CTBL, 73 years old, living in Go Vap district. Ms. L. saw an advertisement online: "Only 1.5 million VND will have a weight loss program. Only 60 minutes to have a slim waist...". At that time, she thought that only 1.5 million VND to have weight loss in each area was worth it. Ms. L. had high blood pressure, fatty liver... so she contacted the company hoping to lose weight to reduce her illness.
In particular, this clinic treats "customers like gods" when it even sent a car to pick up Ms. L. at her house to take her to an international clinic in District 10. The staff offered to reduce her belly, thighs, and arms for a total of 140 million VND, with the belly alone costing 40 million VND. Ms. L. said she would not do it, but the staff tried to persuade her, saying they wanted to use her case for advertising purposes, so they reduced the price to 26 million VND.
"They put something on my stomach and pulled it back and forth, I just felt heavy on my stomach. The staff said I had a lot of gas in my stomach, I had to buy medicine to make the gas come out and the fat could be separated, so I tried to spend 2 million VND more to buy medicine. They finished in about 20-30 minutes," Ms. L. recalled how she was deceived.
Before coming to this clinic, she weighed 67kg, with a waist circumference of over 90cm, but when she arrived, they weighed her at 71kg, with a waist circumference of 104cm. Mrs. L. wondered, and the staff said: "That's your scale, and this scale is the same." When Mrs. L. returned for a follow-up examination, her weight and measurements were still the same as before, and by this time she had lost 28 million VND.
In addition to Ms. L, many people such as Ms. MTML (54 years old), Ms. PTH (60 years old) were also scammed in the same way, and reported it via the hotline of the Inspectorate of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health.
Similarly, Mr. NVĐ. (70 years old, living in Binh Thuan province) also reported that his wife was scammed out of 55 million VND by a weight loss facility in District 3 (HCMC) after seeing an online advertisement about "a promotion for belly fat reduction at a price of 1.5 million VND...".
Many violations discovered in clinics that cheat people
Based on the victim's complaint, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health Inspectorate conducted an inspection and discovered many violations. Specifically, at a clinic in District 10, the inspection team discovered a cardboard box containing bags of unlabeled blue-white capsules and blue capsules (brand name Oristad 120).
These capsules are similar to the products provided by people to the Department Inspectorate. At the time of inspection, the facility could not present invoices and documents for the purchase of the above products.
The delegation noted that the facility had many machines using laser and light technology such as: Laser Cavitation Fat System LS650, LS Slimming Fat System LS650, Ret Slimming Korea, EMS CULPT, and unnamed machines. These machines all had the information label: "Employees are not allowed to use this machine".
At the address where Mr. NVĐ went to lose weight, the Inspector of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health previously recorded continuous changes in ownership and continuous violations when "encroaching" into the medical field without any license issued by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health warns people about establishments advertising "high-tech, painless, non-invasive weight loss" technology using laser machines and RF (Radio Frequency) lifting machines. However, in the medical field, for weight loss activities, the guidance documents do not yet record the use of laser and RF machines in weight loss treatments.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health recommends that people consider carefully and not rush to use "non-invasive weight loss" services advertised on social networking sites without clearly verifying the legality of the facility's operations.
Don't believe in "holy" advertisements
Doctor Nguyen Huan, deputy head of the clinic at the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control, affirmed that the two most basic and important principles for effective and safe weight loss are still having a healthy diet and exercising regularly.
Besides There are also some other effective weight loss treatments, but they need to be done under the guidance of a medical professional. These are non-surgical weight loss methods, weight loss surgery, and medication.
Those People who want to lose weight need to carefully research information, choose reputable facilities with operating licenses and specialized doctors, and learn about weight loss methods with advantages and disadvantages.
Before deciding to perform any weight loss method, consult your doctor for advice and assessment of your health condition, determine the cause of obesity to get advice on appropriate weight loss methods, and do not believe in "miraculous" advertisements.
Be wary of advertisements that promise quick, effortless weight loss. Weight loss is a long-term process that requires persistence and patience…
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/di-giam-beo-tu-quang-cao-tren-mang-chua-thay-giam-can-nhieu-nguoi-an-cu-lua-hang-chuc-trieu-dong-20250304095227761.htm
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