Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Buyer Beware: Web Supplement Scams

Sellers of "Miracle" Products Like Resveratrol and Acai Berry Bury Charges in Fine Print, Hide Identities from Consumers

(CBS) Surfing the internet comes with its hassles - like those advertisements that pop up all the time.

Many try to catch you eye with trial offers. But in the case of one diet supplement - its deal could have you losing a lot more than just a little weight, as CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella reports in conjunction with Business Week

You've probably seen the ads. They're the latest miracle supplements - acai berry, resveratrol, colon-cleansers - all promising to make you feel better, look better, live better, with news reports that seem to back up the claims.

(For more, read Business Week's report, Resveratrol: The Hard Sell on Anti-Aging.)

"My wife thought it would help with the weight," said John Lawless, a scam victim. "We're open to trying things - nutritional supplements, things like that."

Lawless says the news reports helped sway him and the price was right: 99 cents for a trial offer of resveratrol ultra.

But instead of one bottle, he was sent three, at a price of 99 cents for the first one and more than $87 for each of the other two.

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