Leslie Kenton, Beauty-Conscious Con Artist

Leslie Kenton, a writer and beauty guru, has this week been unmasked as a fraud, a confidence trickster, and a dealer in unlicensed medicines.

(Image credit)

Several websites controlled by Kenton - an American by birth, but who has long lived in London - are busily promoting a new miracle weight-loss programme.

Dupes are lured into the scam by adverts for her book, which she claims, somewhat implausibly, is "full of well-referenced scientific information".

The unfortunate marks are then directed to Leslie's Amazon shop, where they can pick up ruinously expensive bottles of an unlicensed medicine, homeopathic hCG. As I have been busy repeating this week, trading in homeopathic hCG - or, indeed, in non-homeopathic hCG - is an offence in the UK.

My complaints to Trading Standards, the ASA and the MHRA are part of a wider effort to protect vulnerable consumers from Leslie's ruthless and cynical exploitation.

ASA Complaint

"Leslie Kenton, who lives in London, makes a number of claims for her weight-loss programme, "Cura Romana", across several websites that she controls. The programme is based on homeopathic hCG, an unlicensed medicine.

To reduce any time you might spend investigating my complaint, I have highlighted claims from just one of the sites; I can supply a much longer list of claims if it would be helpful.

1. ( http://www.lesliekenton.com/home.htm )

"THE BRAND NEW ON-LINE GUIDED PROGRAM:
The Leslie Kenton's Cura Romana® comes on line towards the end of January. Our Cura Romana Journey is the only interactive programme available for body, mind and spirit weightloss you'll find anywhere. It is based on daily videos, audios, written materials, tools, techniques, information and spiritual practices led by me personally. In addition to safe, rapid weightloss, it has also been designed to bring enhanced health, regeneration, and spiritual growth to men and women all over the world,."

Given the known dangers of hcG consumption, I challenge whether the advertiser can substantiate her claim that the programme is "safe", causes "rapid weightloss [sic]" and causes "enhanced health".

I challenge whether the advertiser can substantiate her claim that her "Cura Romana" weight-loss programme is the "only interactive programme available for body, mind and spirit weightloss [sic] you'll find anywhere".

2. ( http://www.lesliekenton.com/home.htm )

"Revolutionary, safe, fast and effective, Leslie Kenton's Cura Romana can transform not only the way you look and feel, but the way you live your life now and long into the future."

I challenge whether the advertiser can substantiate her claims that the programme is "safe, fast and effective" and can "transform... the way you look".

3. ( http://www.lesliekenton.com/home.htm )

"Cura Romana - Permanent Weight Loss for Body and Soul - You can lose from 15 to 30 pounds a month - in safety, without hunger. Shed resistant fat from thighs, hips and waist that slimming diets don’t budge. Restore your body’s natural shape permanently. I will show you how and guide you through your process day-by-day as Cura Romana’s natural homeopathic protocol resets the fat-controlling center in the brain, transforms your body, increases your vitality and rejuvenates your life. Cura Romana has already changed the lives of thousands. Read more click here..."

I challenge whether the advertiser can substantiate her claims that the programme causes "Permanent" weight loss, that "You can lose from 15 to 30 pounds a month, in safety, without hunger", that you can "Restore your body's natural shape permanently" and that homeopathic hCG "resets the fat-controlling centre in the brain, transforms your body, increases your vitality and rejuvenates your life"

Also, I challenge whether the claim "Cura Romana has already changed the lives of thousands" can be substantiated, given that the programme has only been available since January 2011.

Finally, I challenge whether the promotion breaches sections 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 13.4, 13.5, 13.8 and 13.9 of the CAP Code.

I've made some screenshots of the relevant pages, which are available at:
http://leicester.skepticsinthepub.org/FishBarrel/ci.aspx?id=x3OYaCPP7M
http://leicester.skepticsinthepub.org/FishBarrel/ci.aspx?id=JLuKmngXIz

I can confirm that I have no connections with the advertiser or with the alternative medicine industry in general."

Trading Standards Complaint

"Leslie Kenton, who lives in London, is advertising a weight-loss programme based on an unlicensed medicines (homeopathic hCG) on her website http://www.lesliekenton.com.

The company sells the unlicensed medicine on its Amazon UK shop ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004ITEE1A?ie=UTF8&tag=lesliekentonc-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B004ITEE1A ). I understand that dealing in these products is an offence in the UK.

In addition, the company makes a number of health claims which I don't believe can be substantiated with clinical evidence.

If the company are unable to provide robust evidence to back up these claims, they would be operating an Unfair Commercial Practice under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations, 2008.

As you are no doubt aware, under these regulations is it not the duty of the enforcement officer to prove that claims being made are false. The regulations state that if someone is unable to provide robust evidence to support the claims they are making when asked, then they are operating an unfair commercial practice.

1. ( http://www.lesliekenton.com/home.htm )

"THE BRAND NEW ON-LINE GUIDED PROGRAM:
The Leslie Kenton's Cura Romana® comes on line towards the end of January. Our Cura Romana Journey is the only interactive programme available for body, mind and spirit weightloss you'll find anywhere. It is based on daily videos, audios, written materials, tools, techniques, information and spiritual practices led by me personally. In addition to safe, rapid weightloss, it has also been designed to bring enhanced health, regeneration, and spiritual growth to men and women all over the world,."

I challenge whether the advertiser can substantiate her claim that her "Cura Romana" weight-loss programme is the "only interactive programme available for body, mind and spirit weightloss [sic] you'll find anywhere".

Since the programme is based on an unlicensed medicine, I challenge whether the advertiser can substantiate her claim that the programme is "safe" causes "rapid weightloss [sic]" and causes "enhanced health".

2. ( http://www.lesliekenton.com/home.htm )

"Revolutionary, safe, fast and effective, Leslie Kenton's Cura Romana can transform not only the way you look and feel, but the way you live your life now and long into the future."

Since the programme is based on an unlicensed medicine, I challenge whether the advertiser can substantiate her claims that the programme is "safe, fast and effective" and can "transform... the way you look".

3. ( http://www.lesliekenton.com/home.htm )

"Cura Romana
Permanent Weight Loss for Body and Soul
You can lose from 15 to 30 pounds a month - in safety, without hunger. Shed resistant fat from thighs, hips and waist that slimming diets don’t budge. Restore your body’s natural shape permanently. I will show you how and guide you through your process day-by-day as Cura Romana’s natural homeopathic protocol resets the fat-controlling center in the brain, transforms your body, increases your vitality and rejuvenates your life. Cura Romana has already changed the lives of thousands. Read more click here..."

Since the programme is based on an unlicensed medicine, I challenge whether the advertiser can substantiate her claims that the programme causes "Permanent" weight loss, that "You can lose from 15 to 30 pounds a month, in safety, without hunger", that you can "Restore your body's natural shape permanently", that the unlicensed medicined homeopathic hCG "resets the fat-controlling centre in the brain, transforms your body, increases your vitality and rejuvenates your life"

I've made some screenshots of the relevant pages, which are available at:
http://leicester.skepticsinthepub.org/FishBarrel/ci.aspx?id=x3OYaCPP7M
http://leicester.skepticsinthepub.org/FishBarrel/ci.aspx?id=JLuKmngXIz

I can confirm that I have no connections with the advertiser or with the alternative medicine industry in general."