A page of the website (left) of "Glencullen University, Dublin" - a place that doesn't actually exist. Text and pictures appear to have been lifted from the University of Southampton site (www.soton.ac.uk)

Waisting time: Lose weight now - ask me how

"My life was going from the bed to the sofa and from the sofa to the refrigerator."

Betty sent me her moving story of how, at 282 pounds (just over 20 stone), she felt worthless and no longer able to take care of her children. But through the miracle of an over-the-counter supplement, Berry Trim Plus, she lost 126 pounds (nine stone) in six months. My tears were barely dry when, two days later, I got a note from Wendy. "My life was going from the bed to the sofa and from the sofa to the refrigerator." Betty's and Wendy's stories were exactly the same, word for word. If this did not shake my faith in Berry Trim Plus, nutritionist Ellen Coleman delivered the death blow. "Not one of the ingredients has ever been proven to be effective in weight loss," said Coleman, a board member of the National Council Against Health Fraud. On a forum at www.womensforum.com, the overwhelming majority of people who tried Berry Trim Plus said it had little or no effect. But one woman tried to see the bright side. "This did not work, but it was full of fibre and I was very regular!"