Today’s highlighted blog post from FTC/NCPW:

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Is Losing Weight Really this Easy?

It’s some pitch — lose lots of weight quickly with products you can try for free. Even better — the products seem to be endorsed by trusted news sites, and satisfied “reporters” attest to all the unwanted pounds they’ve dropped.

Those were the kinds of claims behind a recent complaint filed by the FTC and State of Connecticut against Boris Mizhen and his companies, who allegedly used fake news websites to promote weight loss products. Featuring stories like “Acai Berry Diet Exposed: Miracle Diet or Scam?,” the sites often displayed the logos of major news sources,  including CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News, and featured fake reporters claiming to have lost lots of weight quickly without any special diet or real exercise. Many people who followed the links and signed up for a free trial, rather than paying a small shipping handling fee, ended up paying $79.99 for the trial, and for recurring monthly shipments of products that were hard to cancel, the FTC alleged.

For 13 years, the DSEF has been proud to partner with the FTC and other organizations to offer a wide array of education events and resources that encourage consumers nationwide to take full advantage of their rights and make better-informed decisions.

You’ll find a wealth of resources at www.ncpw.gov that will help you protect your privacy, manage your money, learn more about credit and debt, decipher advertising messages, and steer clear of fraud and scams.

Please take a moment to share the resources on this Web site with others in your communities and companies and, together, we’ll help build a nation of better-informed and educated consumers.

Charles. L. Orr
Executive Director