Q. I would like to lose weight and improve my overall health; there is so much advertising for over-the-counter supplements. Do these really work?
A. Truth in advertising is the genesis of the Better Business Bureau and a continual challenge today. Take an over-the-counter supplement and cure diabetes or lose a lot of weight? The concept sounds amazing, but these claims are usually false. They are scams designed to take advantage of people trying to improve their health and quality of life.
The Better Business Bureau alerts consumers to watch out for current Internet and email scams promoting medicines for diabetes, weight loss and other common medical conditions. These messages, usually emails, claim that the products are endorsed by official organizations and offer incredible results, but it is nothing more than a scam.
Consumers have reported receiving an email alerting them to an amazing new medicine that will "reverse" diabetes, or lose 30 pounds in a month. To establish credibility, the message drops the names of a variety of established organizations; even falsely claiming a study on the product was released by NASA and endorsed by both Harvard and Johns Hopkins University.
At the end of the email, a link leads you to a website to learn more about the "cure." The website touts the product's amazing affects and details the conspiracy theory that has kept this "cure" and weight loss pills a secret. Of course, you can also buy the product on the site, and it just happens to be on sale.
Don't believe it! The product was not endorsed by Harvard or NASA, and it does not make diabetes symptoms disappear or weight losses occur. If you purchase these "miracle cures," you will likely end up with expensive vitamin supplements. Worse, consumers are also sharing credit card and personal information with scammers, which opens them up to a risk of unauthorized charges and identity theft.
Spot fraudulent "cures" by watching out for these red flags:
* Start with Trust. Check out suspicious miracle cure companies and offers with BBB to avoid schemes and rip-offs. www.bbb.org.
* Be suspicious of "miracle cure" claims. If a real cure for a serious disease were discovered, it would be widely reported through the news media and prescribed by health professionals - not buried in emails, print ads, TV infomercials and websites.
* One product does it all instantly. Be suspicious of products that claim to immediately cure a wide range of diseases or guarantee weight losses. No one product could be effective against a long, varied list of conditions or diseases.
* It's "all natural." Just because it's natural does not mean it's good for you. All natural does not mean the same thing as safe.
* Check with your doctor: If you're tempted to buy an unproven product or one with questionable claims, check with your doctor or other health care professional first.
Jim Winsett is president of the Better Business Bureau in Chattanooga.