The “Pink Salt Trick” Scam

Anatomy of the Lipobound “Pink Salt Trick” Scam Video

The Lipobound advertisement is a classic example of a video sales letter scam dressed up as a legitimate health breakthrough. It’s carefully engineered to hook viewers and keep them watching (or clicking) until they’re funneled into buying a product. Here are the key tactics it uses:

Delayed Disclosure of the “Secret” Recipe

Right from the start, the video dangles the promise of a “secret fat-burning recipe” but pointedly withholds the actual instructions until the very end. The narrator (a woman in the video) claims she’ll teach you the “pink salt trick” that can “activate your metabolism” and make the body burn fat on its own, but first, she launches into a long-winded story. This delayed disclosure is intentional: it builds curiosity and keeps viewers glued in hopes of finally learning the recipe.

In one example from a similar weight-loss ad funnel, a presenter calling herself “Katie Harvey” is shown mixing common ingredients (lemons, baking soda, apple cider vinegar, etc.) in a kitchen, implying she has a homemade remedy with Himalayan pink salt. But it’s all smoke and mirrors — “there’s no real recipe — just a sales tactic,” as one investigator noted.

The video never truly delivers a free DIY weight-loss formula. Instead, after dragging viewers through a lengthy presentation, it ultimately pushes them to purchase Lipobound drops (a so-called “fat burner” supplement). In short, the “pink salt trick” is a bait to hold your attention; the payoff is nothing but a bottle of unproven pills you’re urged to buy.

Fabricated Testimonials and Recycled Footage

A fake testimonial chat and before/after photo used in a scam’s marketing material (in this case, shown in Portuguese). Scammers often fabricate dramatic weight-loss stories and transformations to make their product seem effective.

No scam ad would be complete without “real people” raving about their amazing results, and the Lipobound video obliges with a slew of testimonials that are anything but genuine. As you watch, you’re shown supposed success stories: for instance, a woman claims to have shed dozens of pounds in mere weeks without dieting, or a man (presented as the narrator’s husband) allegedly lost “80+ pounds” just by following the pink salt trick. These stories are accompanied by before-and-after photos of dramatically slimmer bodies and enthusiastic voiceovers.

However, none of these are credible. In fact, investigations into similar weight-loss ad campaigns have found that “the people pictured are fake AI-generated models, not actual users. Their remarkable stories are fabricated testimonials.”. Scammers use stock photos, doctored images, or even completely AI-created human images to populate their videos with “happy customer” faces. The footage of transformations is likely recycled from other sources or generated cheaply to create the illusion of life-changing results.

Think about it: losing 50 or 60 pounds in a month without exercise defies basic science. Reputable sources emphasize that such outcomes are virtually impossible and that no single drink or ingredient can universally melt fat for everyone. That’s a huge red flag. Yet, the Lipobound video confidently showcases these outcomes, counting on viewers’ wishful thinking to override skepticism.

By planting these fake testimonials, the scammers hope you’ll believe “people just like you” have succeeded with this secret trick, making you more inclined to buy in. Remember: if the only place you see these miraculous testimonials is in the ad itself or on the product’s own website (with no trace of independent reviews), it’s a sign of a manufactured narrative.

As the Better Business Bureau warns, many scam endorsements are simply invented by the sellers: “they could be AI-generated or just somebody at a company writing a positive endorsement”, and dramatic before/after pictures are often stock or doctored images, not real users.

Fake Conspiracy, Urgency, and “Big Pharma” Bashing

A frame from the scam video repurposes what looks like a TV talk show or news segment to make the “pink salt trick” seem like a hot topic in mainstream media.

To further hook viewers, the Lipobound video doesn’t just offer a miraculous cure: it wraps it in a dramatic narrative of suppression and urgency. A common element is the claim that “powerful forces” don’t want you to know about this secret. For instance, the ad might suggest that the pharmaceutical industry is alarmed about a natural trick that could upend their profits, or that government and media outlets are scrambling to ban this information.

In fact, one analysis of these ads noted they explicitly say “major media outlets like CNN and USA Today are urging the government to ban this secret recipe”. The video might even show what looks like a breaking news ticker or a talk show discussing a weight-loss breakthrough (as illustrated in the image above), to reinforce the idea that this method is so “disruptive” it’s making headlines. Of course, none of this is true: there are no real news reports urging a ban on a pink salt drink. It’s pure marketing theater.

Along with the fake controversy comes heavy pressure tactics. The narrator will insist that you “watch now before this video is deleted” or claim the recipe is available “only for a very limited time.” Often there are mentions of some insider “whistleblower doctor” risking their career to leak this secret, or a sinister “Big Pharma executive” who tried to silence the discovery. All of this is designed to make you feel a sense of urgency and exclusivity. The scammers want you to believe you’ve stumbled onto forbidden knowledge, and that you must act quickly, before the video or offer disappears.

According to cybersecurity researchers, this kind of false scarcity and conspiracy narrative is textbook: “They use high-pressure tactics insisting people click quickly before the free video gets deleted”, and they “tap into people’s distrust of profit-seeking corporations” by implying a big industry cover-up. In reality, no one is trying to delete their video except perhaps real regulators or platforms trying to shut down scams. The only “conspiracy” here is the scam itself. By framing it as “us (the little guys) versus Big Pharma,” the video plays on viewers’ emotions – if you’re frustrated with expensive drugs or feel lied to by the diet industry, this story resonates.

But remember, scientific breakthroughs aren’t revealed via shady YouTube ads, and legitimate health advice isn’t hidden away under threat of being “banned.” When an ad leans on “they don’t want you to know” or “watch this before it’s removed”, it’s almost certainly a ploy.

Pseudoscience and Misleading “Techno-Babble”

To further bolster its credibility, the Lipobound pink salt trick video is replete with scientific-sounding claims and visuals. The narrative doesn’t simply say “salt water makes you lose weight”; it dresses up the claim with references to biology and medicine, albeit in a distorted, misleading way. For example, the video might assert that the pink salt drink “reactivates dormant cells that vaporize fat” or that it “flips your metabolic switch by targeting GLP-1 and GIP hormones”.

It may use terms related to the latest weight-loss drugs (indeed, calling it a “natural Mounjaro” is a nod to the diabetes/weight-loss drug Mounjaro). The presentation is often accompanied by slick graphics: perhaps an animation of fat cells shrinking, a diagram of the endocrine system, or charts with impressive before/after metabolic rates. All of this is meant to simulate real scientific explanation, to make the viewer think “hey, this sounds medically legit.”

In reality, it’s a bunch of pseudoscientific rationalization. The scammers borrow just enough medical jargon to sound convincing, but nothing is backed by real evidence. For instance, they might name-drop prestigious institutions. E.g. “Harvard and Johns Hopkins researchers have proven this formula works” – yet provide no specific study references. This is intentional. As one report noted, the promotions “mention alleged endorsements from Harvard and Johns Hopkins with no reference to any genuine study, aiming to artificially boost the product’s credibility despite the lack of tangible evidence.” 

In other words, they hope the mere mention of big names will quell your doubts. The video may also flash trust badges like “FDA Approved” or “Clinically Proven” on the screen or website, despite the fact that none of these supplements are FDA-approved or clinically tested in any published trial. It’s pure iconography to create a false sense of security.

Another red flag in these presentations is the exaggerated metaphors and absolute claims. Lipobound’s marketing, much like BurnJaro’s, boasts that it can “launch your metabolism like a SpaceX rocket” or that it works “even if you’re eating pizza and chocolate.” Legitimate health experts would never promise uniform results like “27 pounds in 15 days” for everyone, but scam videos throw out such precise, dramatic numbers to awe the viewer.

The bottom line: while the language and graphics give an appearance of a science-backed solution, they’re carefully cherry-picked and often nonsensical. (Himalayan salt, for example, contains minerals, but no, it will not “flush fat-friendly enzymes” or magically reset all your hormones as the video might suggest.) If you pay close attention, the “science” in these ads never references any peer-reviewed research or specific medical bodies: it’s all broad claims. When in doubt, remember: extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and those are nowhere to be found in a pink salt trick video.