Cohen’s celebrity spills beans

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Sam Cohen of IHRB has denied ever paying his clients for testimonials. Now, a celebrity who endorsed IHRB, spills the beans with significant allegations saying that his whole treatment has been FREE. Before we look at the significance of a free treatment in exchange for a testimonial, let us keep in mind that the Complaints Resolution Panel had determined that ALL of IHRB’s testimonials were ‘unlawful, misleading and unverified’, and that they should never appear again.

Second, as I have been saying all along, Sam Cohen’s testimonials are dubious because they show clients who say that their hair did grow back ‘thanks to Sam’. Well dear reader, it was never ‘thanks to Sam’. It was thanks to a range of medications that people should never have been using, and which have side-effects that includes hair regrow. As this celebrity alleges in his email to me, he was given Minoxidil (which does work for some people (and has killed others) but can be purchased elsewhere at $7 per bottle including free delivery) and he was given Loniten (which is a dangerous product which the TGA specifically says should not be used for hair growth). Loniten can regrow hair in an amazing way. Unfortunately, it has terrible side-effects and was never designed for hair! Irrespective, the point is that this celebrity was using Minoxidil on his scalp as a topical solution, and swallowing Loniten which is a tablet-form of Minoxidil (which is not at all for hair — hair growth is an unfortunate side-effect of Loniten — a serious, dangerous product for those suffering extreme problems with blood pressure).

So we have a celebrity client who was taking Minoxidil and Loniten (and I suspect Retin-A), and seeing hair growth, thanks to those two products, and NO thanks to Sam Cohen’s non-existent product. Sam Cohen has no products. He gets people to take medications and then he says that he is the hero. When asked why anyone should buy these products from him at sky-high prices (while he is unlicensed to supply or sell this products (so much so that the Health Care Complaints Commission has slapped him with a Permanent Prohibition Order), he says it’s because his topical solution contains his secret natural extracts which all three of his pharmacists have since denied in writing! So now Sam Cohen says that he adds the secret extracts himself. When asked to prove this, he runs a mile and says that KFC does not tell people what is in their secret herbs and spices. Sam Cohen refuses to understand that KFC is not a regulated therapeutic product. The law requires that anyone selling therapeutic goods must register the product with the TGA, list the ingredients on the bottle, and have scientific proof of the claims being made, and receive advertising approval before the ads are published. Sam Cohen meets NONE NONE NONE NONE of these four most basic legal requirements. Why? Because in my opinion (after three years of placing him under a microscope) I believe that he is running a scam and has no such secret extracts. It is all lies, in my opinion. No matter how he protests, just ask him to furnish the most basic of legal requirements. He can’t, so this is where he should stop talking, because words are cheap and useless. Let’s see the proof.

When asked for proof, Sam Cohen points to his many satisfied clients, like footballers and this celebrity. Indeed, their hair did grow back, because they responded well to Minoxidil, and because many of his clients are asked to take Loniten and Finasteride (Propecia or Proscar). These products are not his. They were not invented by him. So his testimonials are a disgrace, as the Complaints Resolution Panel found out, which is why all his ads were Sanctioned and why IHRB was asked to withdraw the ads and to publish retractions. It is now ONE year since those Sanctions, and for this whole year, Sam Cohen has snubbed the Sanctions and ignored the Complaints Resolution Panel!

I HAVE NEVER PAID MY CLIENTS FOR ENDORSEMENTS

For three years, I have been saying that Sam Cohen’s IHRB ads are misleading and unlawful. And now the Complaints Resolution Panel has made it official that IHRB’s ads are indeed, and I quote, ‘Unlawful, misleading, and unverified’.

I have also been telling the world that Sam Cohen’s testimonials are not genuine because Sam Cohen pays people for the testimonials, which breaks all the rules of decency and genuineness. Sam Cohen has wanted us all to believe that his clients were giving him real testimonials. As we have observed before, many of the testimonials are suspicious in nature, including similar (to almost identical) wording as if crafted by the same person.

And now this celebrity spills the beans (as others have spilled the beans to me, but have been reluctant to allow me to publish their story). This celebrity had the ethical decency and morality to finally own-up after he realised that the relationship he had with Sam Cohen was not morally decent. It is rare to find people with the courage to do the right thing. This celebrity could not live with the deception. When he found out, he contacted Sam Cohen and asked Mr Cohen to stop using his testimonial. Mr Cohen did stop using this celebrity’s face in the ads that were in print, but Mr Cohen continued, for one full year later, to include this celebrity’s testimonial in an ad on the IHRB website.

Mr Sam Faraj Cohen has always denied giving any money or free products to his testimonial clients. Now we see this email which contradicts Mr Cohen.

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?

Imagine if a Minister or Government Official were on trial, accused of taking a bribe to help a businessman to bend the rules, or to secure a contract, or accused of standing-up in Parliament and endorsing a project. The Minister can say, ‘I have never received any money for saying that XYZ Corporation ought to be awarded the contract’. And that sounds like the truth. However, how would it look when it is later revealed that XYZ Corporation, though it did not give the Minister any cash, did give the Minister a new car, and painted his house free of charge, and fitted a new kitchen free of charge, and sends him a weekly delivery of free wine and food. Or if that corporation built a new home for the Minister, free of charge — neither charging for the material nor the labour! Is that not a payment? Is that not a bribe? Is that not corruption? Would that not render the Minister’s protests of innocence somewhat deceptive when he says, ‘I have never been paid’? All these free items are in lieu of payment. The Minister has been corrupted and bought-out. He cannot stand in Parliament and say, ‘I firmly believe that XYZ Corporation ought to be awarded the contract, and I am telling you this while noting on record, Mr Speaker, that I have never received any cash from this company.’ He has been tainted. He has been bought. He has been bribed. He has been bent!

So when Sam Cohen says that he has never paid his clients to endorse his products (which we learn from this email were not his products in any case), then we are in the realm of deceptive conduct. And the Complaints Resolution Panel discovered this after six months of investigations, when it said that IHRB’s ads were, ‘Unlawful, misleading, and unverified’.

This celebrity was, according to his email below, given 100% free treatment which runs into the thousands. Alan Jones and John Laws got into big trouble during the cash-for-comments scandal. This celebrity was given what he would otherwise have had to pay thousands for, to say that Sam’s products were great. On top of that, this celebrity reveals that he was given Loniten! So when he said that Sam’s treatment was great, he was saying that Minoxidil with Loniten worked for him, and placed his health at risk, and yet the reader is given the impression that the hair growth was thanks to Sam Cohen’s phantom secret natural extracts.

In terms of critical thinking, one must be careful of those who protest their innocence based on semantics and the syntax of words. For example, imagine a woman found dead in her home, and her husband swears and shouts, ‘I never shot her! I never shot her!’ This becomes a moot protest because it might be true that he never shot her. Who says she was shot? She was stabbed! ‘Did you kill your wife Mr Smith?’ To which he would respond, ‘I swear by almighty God that I never shot my wife!’ Camera footage shows that he stabbed her. So what’s all that word-play all about! Sam Cohen is the king, queen, and jack of word-play.

THE EMAIL FROM THE CELEBRITY 

Below we see the email from the former client (who was technically never a client because he says he never paid a cent, so he was a ring-in).

HERE IS THE REDACTED TEXT FROM THE EMAIL:

Tuesday October 2nd 2012.- NSW 20xx ph 041 xxx xxxx email xxx.com.au

Re My connection with Sam Cohen.

I met Sam several years ago, in 2008. I am the producer and presenter of xxx tv show xxx.

I was searching for sponsors for my program, and since i was loosing my hair, I approached Sam Cohen.

I knew of his business via all his many newspaper advertisements, and my hair was falling out.

Previously I was using monoxidol liquid on my scalp, 1 ml a day, and I still do.

Sam did not provide me with any cash or moneys as actuall payment, but the deal was, I would recieve free

treatment, and he would use my photo in his advertisements, he thought it would be good as I was already

a minor celebrity due to my tv show.

When I went to Sam he took his before photos of my scalp, and a few months later after using his treamtments

my hair did regrow a bit, enough to be noticed, I was very happy myself, so he took more photos

and started using my pictures in his many advertisements.

Sam even advertised on commercials on Televsion xxx.

He asked if he could use my name in the adds, but he was refused, but my vision was used.

There was no mention in the adds of our arrangement, but that was ok with me because I was having the

cost of treatments for free and getting my face out there….

the treatments where sams shampoos, lonital, and something else.

I had to go to a GP to get a prescription for the lonital. This did concern me a bit, but i was assured this would be ok.

After 6 months I had to decide if I would go onto Prophesia…

After looking into this, I backed off, I did my own research and found out it could be very dangerous,

so i decided not to go ahead.. I came to the conclusion, I would rather loose my hair than run the risk of health problems..

I felt the public was not sufficiantly made aware of the potenial health risks associated with these serious side effects.

When I found out there where legal proceedings against Sam, I decided to cut my connections with him and his treatments.

He was not happy at all,- but I told him I spoke to my lawyers, and this was their advice, this was over 2 years ago.

I have no personal animosity towards Sam, its just that I had to do alot of soul searching, and more reseach

to realize I did not want to be connected with a service and product that might make people so ill or sick

and i did not want the public consumers to be influenced by my endorsing of Sam Cohen.

As a matter of fact, because many of the public did know my name and face, they would google me and find

my personal home and mobile phone numbers and call me to ask if Sam was indeed genuine.

After all his controversial findings came out, and my own research, I was not so sure myself.

Many of the callers sounded desperate, and unsure. Sam and I had an agreement I would not tell them

I was not paying for treatment, and this to me was a bit decieving if the public didnt know..

So I cut my ties with Sam Cohen.In the meantime, some of my hair has fallen out again…

But I am still using Monoxidol drops 1 ml a day, to keep it where it is.

I would prefer this information and my identity be ok to be used within the industry enquiery, XXX.

Thank You XXX