A Facebook post attributed to Dr. Ilir Alimehmeti, an endocrinologist and municipal councilor in Tirana, warns that "9 out of 10 people are infected with parasites," while promising a "homemade" recipe that will rid patients of "up to two kilograms of worms overnight."
A click on the post takes the reader to a page that appears to be the news portal Newsbomb.al, where what appears to be an interview with Alimehmet is published. In the text, the doctor is quoted promoting a preparation called “Germostop,” which is claimed to cleanse the body of parasites and solve a number of health problems.
At the end of the article, an interactive element in the form of a roulette wheel appears. By spinning it, users are offered a 50 percent discount on the product price, accompanied by an order form and a timer that gives them only ten minutes to complete the purchase.
Upon closer inspection, the site turns out to be a clone of the original portal and the interview appears fake. However, if the form is filled out with personal details, the order becomes real. A few minutes after it is submitted, a product specialist calls to finalize the sale of the preparation, promising efficacy against a long list of symptoms.
Cloning a media outlet's website, alarmist text, and misuse of a well-known doctor's image reflect a well-known pattern of deceptive online marketing.
But "Germostop" is just the tip of the iceberg.
Through open intelligence (OSINT) methods, BIRN discovered that a dozen similar miracle supplements are advertised on social media and the internet – for health, sexual potency or weight loss.
Behind these supplements appears to be a company from Bosnia and Herzegovina called "MonetizeAd doo – Limited Charm", which has a branch in Tirana and has gained a notorious reputation in the region.
Doctors and public figures whose names and images have been misused to promote the sale of these herbal supplements warn that the damage is multiple.
Dr. Alimehmeti told BIRN that the "Germostop" advertisement is dangerous, as it steers patients away from evidence-based medical treatment and protocols, while pushing them to replace it with unknown preparations, for which there is no guarantee whether they are harmful or harmless.
"The very fact that permission is not obtained for the use of the doctors' names and photos shows the fraud that is being perpetrated on citizens solely to make money in dark alleys and at the expense of their health," he said.
"Their goal is only financial gain and they also cause clear economic harm to citizens, at the expense of life and health," Alimehmeti added, while advising citizens not to consider these products at all, and to immediately report them to the authorities as scams to extort money.
Asked by BIRN via email, the company MonetizeAd did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication of this article.
Image abuse
Dr. Ilir Alimehmeti is not the only public figure whose image has been misused in deceptive advertising campaigns for herbal supplements. One of them is infectious disease physician Arjan Harxhi.
He emphasizes that these advertisements are in violation of the law, as they are made without his consent and deceive the public through the use of the image.
"The relevant law enforcement agencies must identify and punish the perpetrators," says Harxhi.
Even infectious disease doctor Monika Dede found herself on one of these pages, where it was claimed that she was advertising a product for treating parasites.
"I think there is a risk that citizens will be deceived and use these preparations, given that a doctor recommends them," said Dede.
"The consequences can be dangerous, given that they are uncontrolled preparations and not approved by the Medicines Agency, as they may contain substances dangerous to the human body," she added.
Doctors were not the only victims of deceptive ads on social media. Journalist Iva Tiço also suffered the same fate.
A fake profile, using her name and photo, shared ads on Facebook for a weight loss product called "Metafix".
According to the journalist, these posts, in addition to the health risks they can pose to citizens, also create hate speech against public figures.
"It was a credit card scam; with my photo, they claimed they would buy a magic cure that would solve digestive problems and reduce belly fat," says Tiço.
Iva Tiço says she was forced to react to the case, but this has not stopped the insults directed at her.
"Yes, I have received insults and curses," she said. "Even though on one occasion I made a clarifying comment, warning them that it was a hoax, the comments continued with curses even after my clarification," Tiço added.
Who is behind it?
Using a simple research method known as “image reverse search,” BIRN discovered a dozen pages on social media and the internet advertising the supplements “Germostop” and “Metafix,” as well as similar preparations.
One of them, called Produkt Shqip, claims to be a trading platform registered in the city of Burrel. But when BIRN journalists ordered a product, an herbal tea called “Parazol” that is advertised as an anti-parasitic, they were called by an operator who said he was based in Tirana and worked for the company “Limited Charm.”
The latter is a trademark of the company “MonetizeAd doo”. Unlike ProduktShqip, the company’s homepage is more careful in the way it describes the preparations, describing them simply as supplements “aimed at strengthening the immune system, balancing metabolism and improving the overall health of the body”.
This is not the first time the company has been linked to ads or websites that overstate the capabilities of its supplements. A dozen media outlets and fact-checking organizations in the region have been reporting similar problems for years.
“During 2024 and 2025, we had dozens of fake videos and posts promoting unlicensed health products,” said Luljeta Beselica, a journalist for Kallxo.com in Kosovo.
Various tactics to manipulate citizens are also used in Bosnia and Herzegovina, confirms Marija Ćosić, journalist and fact-checker at Raskrinkavanje.ba.
“In some cases, 'recommendations' for teas or supplements with unproven medical effects come from fictional doctors and researchers,” she said.
"In other cases, false recommendations are attributed to real and well-known doctors or other public faces, such as famous singers or actors," she added.
Data from the National Business Center shows that this company also registered a branch in Albania in June 2020, as an entity with the name: "Monetize Ad doo Sarajevo Limited Charm".
Its field of activity is described as: "services in internet marketing and product distribution according to the COD (cash on delivery) model".
According to data from the Central Bank, the foreign legal representative of this company is Ajdin Brković, a Bosnian citizen.
The latter was reportedly criminally charged in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2024, allegedly for committing criminal offenses of fraud, misinforming consumers, and unauthorized use of personal data.
In Albania, its activity seems to have been successful in recent years. The company's financial statements show that in 2024, its revenues were 140 million lek, with a profit of 37 million lek.
The Tirana Prosecutor's Office told BIRN that a criminal complaint was filed against this company in 2025.
"The verification carried out shows that, based on the material received for competence from the Prosecutor's Office at the First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction in Shkodra, criminal report no. 16356 of 2025 has been registered," said the prosecution body in the capital through a written response.
"The case is still in the verification phase," the Tirana Prosecutor's Office added.
Market surveillance
Although millions of euros of herbal supplements have been sold in Albania in recent years, their impact on public health remains unclear. Public institutions report few confirmed cases.
The State Police announces that during 2025, two cases of online sales of preparations fictitiously advertised as medical drugs were detected, with two citizens criminally prosecuted while at large, in Berat and Shkodra.
Further, this institution adds that it continuously monitors all accounts that advertise products that are dangerous to health.
"For any case found in this area, citizens can present themselves to report it to the Police structures, or through official means of communication," the State Police appeals.
On the other hand, the National Food Agency emphasizes that during the last year, no complaints related to supplements or preparations claiming medical effects have been registered.
"During the continuous monitoring of the market and online platforms, the NFA has not identified any officially notified cases of unauthorized food preparations or supplements," said the NFA, adding that it continues to monitor this segment.
"The specific focus of this monitoring remains the avoidance of inaccurate or unjustified advertising of products that may be confused with products with a medical effect," the Agency added.
The NFA also clarified that supplements that are not taken with the intention of benefiting from their nutritional elements, but are consumed as ingredients for physiological performance purposes, are subject to monitoring and inspection by the National Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices (NAMMD).
For its part, the AKBPM argues that food supplements that are imported and placed on the market are not within its scope of action. Meanwhile, none of the institutions takes responsibility for these products that are sold online.
Asked through a request for information whether there have been cases of patients presenting with complications from these preparations, the "Mother Teresa" University Hospital Center in Tirana reported no problems.
"From the information collected from the Ophthalmology, Cardiology, Endocrinology and Oncology services at the QSUT, it appears that no patients have been referred for treatment with online medications," the institution said.
However, doctors urge patients to avoid these supplements.
"The products being advertised may be uncertified or unregistered according to applicable legislation and, as such, may pose a risk to the people who use them," argues Dr. Arjan Harxhi.
"Any preparation with indications for the treatment of various diseases must be prescribed directly by a doctor, according to his instructions," he added.
Even doctor Monika Dede advises citizens to avoid using it.
"I would recommend that you do not trust and do not use any preparations recommended online from unknown websites, even if the image of a doctor, even a very well-known one, may appear recommending them," she concluded. /BIRN/
