On social media, various weight loss experience posts are overwhelming: "Losing 20 pounds in 21 days, personally tested effective", "Losing 15 pounds in a week, lazy weight loss method without exercise or dieting", "Eating with this recipe, losing 30 pounds a month is not a dream"... These highly impactful titles are like a powerful magnet, attracting those who long to lose weight. However, are these weight loss experience posts truly selflessly shared by some enthusiastic netizens and internet celebrities? What unknown business practices are hidden behind it? On some social media platforms, amateur weight loss posts can be seen everywhere, such as "losing 20 pounds per month" and "losing 10 pounds per week". A recent investigation by reporters has found that these seemingly genuine "experience sharing" are actually marketing scripts manipulated by some businesses: either using small accounts to direct and act out, pretending to be ordinary consumers for evaluation, or hiring water armies to brush reviews and create false reputation, ultimately leading consumers into the private domain trading chain where counterfeit goods are rampant. The interviewed experts pointed out that when weight loss posts mutate into a new type of "pig killing plate" and health demands become commercial prey, this battle not only concerns individual rights, but also tests the ability to govern cyberspace. Creating a persona nurturing matrix on a certain social media platform, the reporter searched with the keyword "weight loss" and found that 14 accounts in the top 20 hot posts had registered for less than 30 days. For example, posts with high likes such as "amateur weight loss product evaluation" and "female college student dormitory weight loss evaluation" have only been registered a few days ago. Reporters have traced and found that some bloggers with the personas of "female college students" and "office workers" are actually marketing matrices nurtured by meal service companies: language templates are used, and all posts follow a three-stage structure of "product comparison - lightning protection and drainage - private transactions", using keywords such as "personally tested and effective" and "affordable substitution" to induce clicks; Matrix of accounts, with the main account posting evaluation posts and 5 to 10 accounts asking for links in the comment section to improve their performance, completing the closed-loop process from traffic to transactions within 48 hours; Transaction concealment, guiding the addition of social accounts under the pretext of "internal discounts", and evading platform supervision through private transfers. The so-called amateur posting is just the tip of the iceberg in the distribution system Ms. Hu, a former employee of a catering company from Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, revealed that the company requires employees to post three evaluation posts daily, with a commission of 15% for every purchase made. "Full time employees post over 100 posts per month, and their real income comes from developing downlines rather than selling goods. Ms. Hu told reporters that the company has also concealed the functions of its products, such as launching meal replacement milkshakes. The company vigorously promotes "scientific weight loss" and "nutrition", but in reality, once consumers take them, it is difficult to lose them because once they do, their weight will rebound, and overeating can also bring certain harm to the body. The company cannot mention these in the post, and what's even more frightening is that some so-called nutritionists in the company may not have even attended high school. How can the weight loss plans and products they recommend in the post be reliable? "Ms. Wu from Guizhou, who is filled with counterfeit and inferior products, was tricked by the so-called" amateur weight loss posts "- she saw an amateur weight loss post on a social media platform and added their contact information through group chat. After introducing their weight loss experience, the other party claimed that they had a good effect after eating a certain generation of meal powder and became an agent. The products they sold were all genuine manufacturer's direct shipping, and were sold at half price on the basis of the original price. After receiving the goods, I found that the meal replacement powder I bought for 690 yuan contained black sesame paste and white sugar inside. Even if the other party refuses to accept the return, they still curse Ms. Wu said angrily. Later, she discovered that the agent was purchasing genuine product packaging on a second-hand platform, suspecting that it was counterfeit and resold, but the other party denied it. Helpless, Ms. Wu could only post a "lightning protection post" on social media. A netizen in the comment section stated that they have also purchased similar products from this agent. During the physical examination at the beginning of the year, their body indicators were normal, but after taking the product for a period of time, they were found to have abnormal liver function. Ms. Wu later noticed that the agent had cancelled their platform account and social media account after being frequently asked for returns and refunds. However, after a period of time, they established a new account to continue selling the same meal replacement powder. During the investigation, the reporter found that there are many merchants who, disguised as amateurs, recommend counterfeit and inferior products under the pretext of imparting weight loss experience. Their fraudulent process usually involves: first recycling genuine empty cans, 3D scanning, and then mass printing; Mix and fill with cheap products, which is less than one tenth of the cost of genuine products; Falsifying "testing reports" and "authorization certificates", and even imitating the "blue hat" health food label. I previously purchased a meal replacement fan in the live broadcast room of a flagship store of a certain brand and thought it was good. I want to continue buying it to eat, but the price in the live broadcast room is relatively expensive. Later, I saw a self operated store for the product under a hot post posted by an ordinary person. They placed an 'authorized agent letter' on the product details page, which made the price much cheaper. I thought it was genuine and placed an order, but after receiving the product, I found it to be extremely fake Ms. Zhang from Hebei said that even the product packaging box has a significant difference from the genuine product. When she regained her senses and went to social media to check the post, she found that the poster had already logged out of the account. Ms. Zhang finally realized that the poster she had seen before might be a small account of a merchant who "directed and acted out" themselves. The reporter found through Ms. Zhang's order search on the shopping platform that this self operated store has over 30000 fans. Ms. Zhang said that she immediately contacted customer service to request a refund after discovering that it was a counterfeit product. She chose the reason for the return as "selling counterfeit goods", but the customer service replied that the refund was possible but the reason for the return must be modified. Beijing Yingke Law Firm lawyer Gou Xiaofeng pointed out that in such gray transactions, merchants have a triple design to evade the law: responsibility cutting, private transactions leaving no trace, and consumers find it difficult to prove the purchase relationship; Using language to exonerate oneself, replacing "treating obesity" with "assisting weight loss", and avoiding regulatory oversight under advertising laws; Evidence has been destroyed, and each batch of counterfeit goods corresponds to an independent packaging code. Those who are complained about will immediately stop production and change labels. The interviewed experts believe that the way to break through such situations is to build a "regulatory platform consumer" firewall. Establish a "digital fingerprint database for weight loss products" and attach a QR code on the outer packaging to trace authenticity; Implement a dual review of "AI labeling+manual review" for weight loss posts on social media platforms, and clearly label any commercial promotion attributes; Include the three-tier distribution model in the scope of pyramid schemes crackdown, and prioritize compensating consumers for frozen funds in the involved accounts. E-commerce platforms need to implement a deposit system for stores associated with keywords such as "weight loss" and "meal replacement"; Establish a "blacklist database for amateur posts" on social media platforms, and automatically trigger risk control when registering more than 3 accounts on the same device; Connect 12315 with mainstream platform complaint interfaces to achieve "one click evidence collection and cross platform accountability". How should consumers effectively identify the authenticity of weight loss products on the market? Xiao Feng suggests that consumers can request merchants to provide their "Business License" and product approval number. For example, drugs need to have the "National Medical Products Administration Approval Letter H/Z+8 digits", and health foods need to have the "Blue Hat" logo. Be wary of "three no" products without production dates and manufacturer information; Before purchasing, merchants can be required to present clinical trial reports or authoritative institution certifications to verify the so-called "scientific basis"; Stay away from the "head pulling rebate" model (such as three-tier distribution), as such behavior may be suspected of pyramid schemes; In addition, it is necessary to avoid making payments to personal accounts, require corporate transfers and issue invoices to preserve evidence of fund flow. If consumers encounter such situations, they can promptly submit chat records, advertisement screenshots and other evidence to the market supervision department or the 12315 platform, and demand the investigation and punishment of false advertising; You can also sue the merchant for fraud and claim a 'refund and compensation' under the Consumer Rights Protection Law; If the merchant goes missing or the amount involved exceeds 3000 yuan, they can report to the public security organs to pursue legal responsibility Xiao Feng said. Gou Xiaofeng also suggested increasing the punishment for false advertising and imposing a fine of 30% of the sales revenue. Market regulatory authorities should implement a "pre release filing system" for weight loss advertisements, with a focus on reviewing the effectiveness of promotional content; The health, public security, and internet information departments jointly crack down on illegal addition of prohibited ingredients, pyramid schemes, and online fraud; Expose and investigate typical cases through short video platforms, and promote legal and scientific knowledge of weight loss. Liu Junhai, director of the Commercial Law Research Institute of Renmin University of China, believes that businesses and relevant departments should focus on protecting the legitimate rights and interests of consumers. At present, the weight loss market is in chaos, and we should strengthen the rectification, comprehensively consolidate consumers' right to know, the right to choose, the right to fair trade, the right to security and the right to claim compensation. Consumers should remain vigilant, make rational judgments, and not be easily misled by false advertising when facing various weight loss product promotions. They should start with their dietary habits and daily routines, and use more scientific methods to achieve weight loss goals Liu Junhai said. (New Society)