A supplement thatll get you high school skinny.As Americans resolve to lose weight and diet this year, scammers are at the ready to collect what amounts to hundreds of millions each year in products that swear to trim inches and cut pounds, usually without any exercise. A tally by BuzzFeed News found that those accused of making fraudulent weight-loss claims paid less than $100 million in consumer refunds and penalties this year. That suggests that consumer education is probably a more effective tool at protecting consumers than law enforcement.Cleland notes that consumers should remember there is no miracle out there. Below, nine scams that the FTC ruled on this year.
The Federal Trade Commission is preparing for a New Year’s spike in weight-loss scams. This year’s highlights included a cream inspired by lobster hormones, and a magical pill that claimed to strip the calories from a plate of spaghetti.
As Americans resolve to lose weight and diet this year, scammers are at the ready to collect what amounts to hundreds of millions each year in products that swear to trim inches and cut pounds, usually without any exercise. The Federal Trade Commission is preparing for the annual spike in weight-loss product fraud that tends to occur this time of year, as consumers search for a magic bullet, said Richard Cleland, assistant director for the FTCs division of advertising practices.
In terms of advertising issues, weight loss fraud is one of the top priorities for the Federal Trade Commission, Cleland said in an interview with BuzzFeed News. Its very lucrative for scammersyouve got an audience that is susceptible to being scammed and a fairly sophisticated group of marketers that are very adept of taking advantage of them.
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