Some scams such as health product and herbalife scams can be to some people a legitimate product or programs. To others they are scams that either take your money or even worst ruin your health. Some health product scams target the very sick and even desperate consumers who may even be lured away from treatments that have proven benefits. The FTC article below highlights several health product scams and provides tips for judging if a health product or program is a scam or a benefit.
Warning From The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Concerning Health Product Scams:
A recent study found that more than 90 million Americans use the Internet to find health-related information. With the low cost of Internet marketing, health product hucksters have arrived in force to offer us every tried-and-true cure-all scam delivered directly to our desktop computer. Many of today’s consumer complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and State’s Attorney Generals today involve health product scams.
AIDS Cure-All
A former healthcare practitioner from Seattle had several reasons for complaining to the Arizona Attorney General about a website touting an AIDS cure. He knew that the claim was bogus: Scientists have yet to discover a cure for AIDS. And he knew that the $1,100 charge for a six-week "treatment" to cure the disease was tantamount to stealing. But the "clincher" was the claim that the product was "100-percent guaranteed." The man, who asked that his name not be used, said the guarantee could lead people who used the product to think they had been cured when they hadn't, a fact that could cause them to put others at risk for HIV infection.
Health Product Scams
As seen with an AIDS scam, health scams can be life threatening as well as cheat you out of a lot of money. Scams also harm legitimate marketers who are striving to compete fairly. Health fraud often targets the very sick and even desperate consumers who may even be lured away from treatments that have proven benefits. It can mislead people who use an advertised "cure-all" product into thinking they're disease-free. As a result, they may not seek or continue medical care, receive the drugs or legitimate treatment that could keep them healthier longer, or take precautions to prevent the spread of their disease.
Whether made on- or offline, fraudulent health claims typically deal with serious diseases, such as AIDS, cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, diabetes and arthritis, as well as chronic medical conditions like headaches and back pain. Often, exaggerated claims are used to promote products like DHEA (a hormone supplement), Cat's Claw (an herbal product), and colloidal silver, as well as diagnostic tests, such as electrical "zappers." Cases investigated by the FTC and state law enforcement agencies have involved unsubstantiated claims for the health benefits of shark cartilage, Essiac herbal tea, colloidal silver and electrical therapy devices.
A health fraudster's stock technique is to exaggerate the science, says Howard Beales, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. Legitimate marketers know they need appropriate substantiation to show that a product will do what it claims.
Promoters of fraudulent health products often use similar claims and practices to trick consumers into buying their products. Be suspicious when you see:
Miracle Cure
Claims that a product is a scientific breakthrough, miraculous cure, secret ingredient or ancient remedy.
Multiple Cures
Claims that the product is an effective cure for a wide range of ailments. No product can cure multiple conditions or diseases.
Impressive Medical Terms
Claims that use impressive-sounding medical terms. They’re often covering up a lack of good science.
Undocumented Claims
Undocumented case histories of people who’ve had amazing results. It’s too Ez to make them up. And even if true, they can’t be generalized to the entire population. Anecdotes are not a substitute for valid science.
Multi-Level Marketing Programs (MLM)
Some MLM programs are legitimate. The ones to watch out for are the programs that generate the majority of their revenue from selling the MLM programs to others verses revenue from the actual health product being sold.
Only One Source
Claims that the product is available from only one source, and payment is required in advance.
Money-Back Guarantee
Claims of a “money-back” guarantee.
No Contact Info
Websites that fail to list the company’s name, physical address, phone number or other contact information.
For additional information, here are two websites can help: the FTC's Virtual Health Treatments website at www.ftc.gov/cureall and the FDA's Buying Medicines and Medical Products Online website at www.fda.gov/oc/buyonline/default.htm. The sites give tips on how to spot health fraud and where to report suspicious claims.
