Tumi Morake says she does not even know the products.
Tis the season to be – scammed.
If it is not people hacking WhatsApp and asking for money from contacts, it is ‘businesses’ using celebrity images to make a quick buck.
One of the celebrities that recently fell victim to this is comedian Tumi Morake, whose image is being used to promote weight loss products.
Knowing just how dangerous some products on the market can be, she had to speak out.
Tumi took to her Facebook page to alert her fans and followers that she has nothing to do with the advert.
“There is a page called Unique Offers claiming I have used something called keto gummies. I don’t know what that is or who they are. It is a SCAM! Report and block! Please,” she posted.
Her followers thanked her in the comments and others alerted her to another ad, also from Unique Offers. The posts are both sponsored by beautydiaryvietnam.com. On the posts, they promise the products will “change your life” and the other says “I did this before I ate every morning”.
They are using before and after pictures of Tumi, showing her weight loss, as if she used their products for the results.
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Tumi, who is always in and out of the country says she is currently in South Africa, “eating nice meat and enjoying a cheaper life”. She tells Drum she was unaware of the posts until people alerted her to them.
Screengrabs from Facebook
Screengrabs from Facebook
“I received DMs on Instagram and Facebook from people asking me about keto gummies. And I was like what the heck is this and why am I getting so many messages about this? Then a couple of the fans actually sent me screengrabs of the page and what was being said on the page. So I told them this is a scam, I don’t know anything about these people and they’re using my face illegally.
“Then I got a message on WhatsApp from Anele Mdoda as well, alerting me to this thing and I thought this thing is huge mos. And I realized it’s sponsored, so these people have actually paid and put out a paid ad on Facebook with my face on it, you know?”
She says she does not know where here Instagram followers got it from, but it looks like screengrabs from Facebook too. She adds that she tried to reach out the people behind the page, but no luck.
“Initially, I kept trying to get on this page, but I couldn’t. Like I literally thought they had blocked me, eventually I was able to get under the post and I said this is a scam. It’s a lie. And I don’t know if they have taken it down or whatever.”
She would like members of the public to be warned that if she doesn’t not personally post something on her page, then it is not her or she is not involved.
“When I have used stuff I have been very clear about it. When I used Mome’s things, and I said oh this is natural, I’m gonna try this. I used it, and it killed my mkhaba. And I told people this is how I lost my mkhaba. So if you don’t hear my say that’s how I lost weight, please don’t go taking things.
Read more | Tumi Morake on being stuck in the US with her family during lockdown: “We are exactly where we need to be”
“But also, besides that, it doesn’t matter what celebrity face is being used on a product, bruh, first of all don’t take something just because you think I took it. And even if I did take it, what works for me won’t necessarily work for you.
“This is something I said to a lot of women who reached out to me when I lost weight. Go to a doctor, speak to your doctor. Weight loss is a complicated thing, and a lot of women will say they have been struggling for a long time with their weight and my answer is always, then ask a doctor. Get a person who has studied this thing, otherwise you’re gonna hurt yourself.”
