Offers of quick health checks have been popping up on Facebook this fall. Fact-checkers in the Nordic countries — Tjekdet, Faktisk, Faktabaari, and Källkritikbyrån — are investigating the scam.
“Kiss my ass.”
That’s how Danish John Egtved feels about the scam he recently fell for through a Facebook ad.
The ad promised a health assessment that could reveal his “real body age” if he entered his personal information and answered questions about his health and habits. Best of all, it would only take two minutes.
John Egtved only received a generally worded health check. In addition, he was sent an expensive bill and threats of debt collection if he didn’t pay.
John Egtved is not the only person in the Nordic countries who has taken the test and later received threats of debt collection.
Nearly 1.000 poeple in the Nordic countries filed complaints to consumer services.
In Sweden The Swedish Consumer Agency have received 369 reports since this summer, Consumer Europe Norway and the Norwegian Consumer Council in Norway have received a total of more than 400 complaints and European Consumer Centre Denmark in Denmark informs that they have received 73 complaints so far in Denmark. Consumer Europe Finland received 136 complaints.
Additionally, several Facebook posts and Trustpilot reviews reveal that even more users are seeking advice on what to do if they’ve fallen into the trap.
And it’s no wonder that people are falling for the scam. Ads for it have been circulating on Facebook for months. A review of Facebook’s ad library confirms this.
The scam has previously been covered by both B.T. and Politiken in Denmark and by public service broadcaster SVT in Sweden, but our research shows that this scam is widespread and active in multiple countries. It all traces back to a Hungarian man. When we contacted him, he was quick to shut down all the websites.
How it works
Our research reveals that the so-called “2-minute health assessments” appear on numerous websites and in multiple languages. Through targeted Facebook ads, for example middle-aged and elderly Danes are led to websites like sundhedstjek.com.
We identified 14 active websites in six languages – three Danish, four Swedish, one Norwegian, two Finnish, two German, and two French. While the websites are structured similarly, they are localized for each country, including the name, price, currency, images, and icons displayed.
When users start the health assessment, they select their gender, age, weight, and height. Before proceeding, they must check a box agreeing to the terms and conditions which also states the cost of the service – 669 DKK in Denmark, 79.99 EUR in Finland, 899 SEK in Sweden and 899 NOK in Norway. The text is written in such small print that many users overlook it.
After clicking through questions about stress, physical activity, mental health, diet, smoking, alcohol, and sleep, users are asked to provide their name and contact information. They then receive a “personal health assessment” via email. This report includes general information about health, sleep, diet, and exercise.
Alongside the assessment, users are also sent an invoice. If the invoice is paid within 10 days a small “discount” is applied. Clicking “Pay now” on the invoice leads to a foreign payment page where users must enter their card details. No receipt is provided.
Debt collection threats
One of the Danes who didn’t read the fine print and fell for the scam is 74-year-old John Egtved from Jyderup in the western part of Zealand.
He told us that he came across the ad on Facebook and thought it would be fun to see what they said about his health. He entered his information and was told he would receive a response within 14 days.
“But I took a closer look and wrote to them, saying I didn’t want it after all. They wouldn’t accept that, and then they sent me an invoice for 669 DKK, which I could get a discount on if I paid quickly,” he said.
Initially, John Egtved didn’t pay the invoice, but after receiving an email threatening with debt collection, he retrieved his Mastercard and paid because he “didn’t want to risk being sent to collections for 600 kroner.”
He never received a receipt for his payment. To be sure it went through, John Egtved made another payment, but still didn’t receive confirmation. Concerned, he contacted Mastercard, which informed him they had blocked the payment as it seemed suspicious.
“The next day, Mastercard called me again and told me they had frozen my card because they weren’t sure what information the company had obtained. They also told me the payment was going to Hungary,” said John Egtved, who fortunately avoided financial loss.
The trail leads to Hungary
All the websites list “Belard-Web Kft.” as the company behind the health assessments. In Hungary, there is a company called “Bellard-Web Kft.”– with two “l”s instead of one. However, none of the registration numbers on the websites match the current registration number for Bellard-Web Kft., and the entity “Belard-Web Kft.” does not exist.
Instead, the numbers point to other companies with different owners, some under liquidation, and others entirely fake. In at least one case, the listed owner died years ago.
Depending on whether the website is Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, or Finnish, different registration numbers appear. In reality, these numbers are variations of Bellard-Web Kft.’s former registration number, altered slightly to mislead users into connecting them to unrelated companies.
Who is behind?
Bellard-Web Kft. appears to be the company behind the scam. In Hungarian business records, a 25 year old Hungarian man is listed as the director. He took over the company in 2024 and is linked to its registered address near Budapest. Social media images and videos show him around the address and even posing with firearms.
The man took over Bellard-Web Kft. on July 4, 2024, but ads for the scam were already running by January of the same year. Two ads from January linked to a now-defunct site “well-a-care.com” and ran briefly as what appears to have been a test. The man’s precise role in the scam is unclear, and he may be a frontman. Attempts to reach him for comment have been unsuccessful.
Before July 4, the company was associated with another Hungarian man in his late 30s. He and a relative operated Bellardtech Kft., registered at the same address as Bellard-Web Kft. His phone number was also linked to Bellard-Web Kft. for years. Notably, the man paid for several Danish Facebook ads as recently as November, leading victims to websites like sundhedstjek.com. This was revealed through a review of Facebook’s ad library.
We also found multiple Linkedin profiles where the names of the 38-year old man and a relative are linked to Bellard-Web Kft. On social media, he uses a different name, but photos and relationships confirm his identity.
We attempted to call the man without success. Instead, we contacted him via social media, and we can see that he has received and viewed our message. The day after our inquiry, all websites in every language were suddenly taken down. The purpose of the shutdown is unclear, as the websites are now active again.
We asked the man to comment on his connection to Bellard-Web Kft., the health assessment websites, and why the sites were temporarily taken down. He has not responded to our inquiry.
Do not pay
Consumer Europe, an organization that provides free guidance on consumer rights when shopping and traveling in the EU, is aware of the fraudulent ads for health assessments.
“The websites Sundhedstjek.com and Sundhedsassesor.com deceive consumers by hiding the fact that these are paid services. If a payment is required, this must be made clear so you can make an informed decision. That’s not the case here, which is unacceptable and in violation of the rules. Unfortunately, we are seeing a growing trend of websites tricking consumers through social media,” says Lars Arent, Director of Consumer Europe.
If you, like John Egtved, have fallen into the trap, you should under no circumstances pay the invoice.
“If you’ve been scammed by these two websites, do not pay. Instead, write to them and state that you dispute the claim. If you cannot send the message, take a screenshot showing your attempt. Do not worry if they threaten you with fees or debt collection. The company is not allowed to keep pressing you with additional fees after you have formally notified them in writing that you dispute their claim. They also gain nothing by sending the case to debt collection,” adds Lars Arent.
This article is the result of a collaboration between the fact-checking organizations in NORDIS, Faktisk (Norway), Källkritikbyran (Sweden), Faktabaari (Finland) and TjekDet (Denmark).