Seven Sharp presenter Hilary Barry latest Kiwi star targeted by online weight loss scammers

Hilary Barry is warning fans not to fall for a scam weight loss ad that is being promoted using pictures of her.

Taking to Instagram last night, the Seven Sharp presenter shared two images of sponsored advertisements she has seen on the social media platform warning fans they are fake.

“Just to reiterate - these are scams. They have all been reported but continue to pop up,” she said before adding a cheeky quip.

“I would never sell you weight loss pills - if you saw my gut you’d know I hadn’t shaved 19kg off it,” the presenter joked.

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The images shared by Barry are from two accounts, one called Festival Curta Bragnca which shared pictures of ‘Active Keto’ gummies that are said to “burn belly fat like crazy” and used a photo of Barry in her swimwear on the beach, as well as a photo of her with Oprah Winfrey.

The caption of the scam post read, “Experience a wonderful transformation! All thanks to my amazing friend who shared an exceptional weight loss method that helped me lose an incredible 19kg.” Adding, “It was an incredible journey and I could not have made it without their guidance. Thank you Oprah Winfrey for this!”

The second scam post was shared by the fake account ‘FitMart - suitable’ and shared a photo of the TV personality wearing a bright green top along with the caption, “Hilary Barry: I didn’t expect the weight loss to generate so many questions - my inbox is flooded with messages!

“Instead of responding to each message individually, I’ve decided to give an interview on the subject’,” it said before adding a link to a website called finandsys.com.

This is not the first time a major Kiwi star has been targeted by online scammers, other scams have seen Newshub anchor Samantha Hayes has also been targeted this year, as well as our very own, Toni Street.

Former National MP Paula Bennett was also targeted by a bizarre weight loss scam and a fake Facebook page pretending to be Newstalk ZB’s Kate Hawkesby circulated telling people they’d won a share of $20,000.

Toni recently addressed the scams with a post on her Instagram account last month blasting the ads.

Sharing images of scams she had seen online she wrote “Please do not give these people your money,” adding, “I would never promote weight loss gummies.”

The star also pointed out the name of the accounts - one being Abdallah Hossam and the other, Cantanes Juan y Fidelina - writing, “Look at the name of the people trying to sell these to you, that’s the giveaway!”

She was also targeted in April and spoke to the Herald, saying she was outraged by the act.

“It’s outrageous,” the star who champions body positivity and authentic social media content said.

If you spot a scam account or are contacted by one you can report the account to Meta (Facebook and Instagram). 

A key red flag to look out for is a request by scammers to provide your card details. Legitimate organisations will never ask for this information from you.

We do not randomly award unsolicited prizes. To win a prize from Coast you must have always entered through an official Coast channel, either by calling live on air, via text or through online entry.

Please carefully check unsolicited messages and if you’re unsure about the authenticity of a message, contact us anytime by email at: [email protected]

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If you wish to report a criminal offence in relation to a scam, contact the Police either by calling 105 or reporting online it via the 105 website.

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with edits and permission.