by Dan-N on March 12, 2010
We tried to come up with a clever, funny headline for this post – but we were too depressed to be funny. We have reported for so long about acai berry scams that it takes a lot to surprise us – but this latest acai scam surprised us! We have seen the fake acai review sites, been through the fake diet blog sites and of course all the free trial scams. But creating not one – but at least two fake news networks – that is incredibly disgusting.
Health News 7 – Bringing You The Best in Fake News
We recently got an email that linked to a “new report on the Acai Berry”. The news network is Health News 7 and here is a screen shot on their “story” -
Click The Image To See The Enlarged View
You really need to click the above image to see it full size. Here are a couple of things we want to point out -
- Site is News7Health.Com and clearly looks like a real news site.
- The reporter is shown in the photo and identified as “Health and Diet writer, Julia Miller”
- The story goes on about how the reporter was skeptical, but some free trial Acai Berry helped her lose 25 pounds in 4 weeks.
This looks like a very impressive piece. We have a news reporter who tried Acai and saw amazing weight loss. There is just one little problem – IT IS ALL MADE UP!
Exposing News7Health.Com for the Scam It Is
The site looked strange to us and we had never heard of News 7 Health – so we decided to read more news stories from the site. We started clicking on the links on the top of the page – things like US, World, Business, Politics, etc – they are all dead links! This is a completely made up news site that uses affiliate links to try to trick people into buying a “free trial acai product” that will actually cost you $90 a month!
Don’t Be Disgusted Yet – It Only Gets Worse
I hope you have more disgust and outrage inside you – because it only gets worse! We did a little digging on the internet and we found this site -
Click Above Image to See Full Size
Again, click the above image to get the full disgusting view. Wow, looks like there is another “news network” called Health News 6. Guess what, they also did a story where their reporter took Acai and lost tons of weight. Let’s get a close up of these competing Health Reporters from New 6 Health and News 7 Health -
Julia Miller
Julia Miller ???
Wow – not only did Julia Miller lose weight by taking Acai – she also completely changed her appearance! Acai really is Amazing!
Stock Photos Allow Anyone To Create Their Own News Network!
These scammers are so lazy that they don’t even make an effort to cover their tracks anymore. Why bother changing the fake reporters name – just throw in a different stock photo. If one fake news site makes you money, then 10 fake news sites will make you more money.
The Evolution of Acai Scam – Making the Jump From Deception to Flat Out Fabrication
Unfortunately, Acai scams are not new – we have been exposing them for over 2 years. What is so disturbing with this one is the jump from deception to fabrication. The “old” acai scam was to mislead people into thinking they were getting a free trial of Acai. Buried at the bottom of the Terms of Service, in font too small to read, was the fact that you will be autobilled $90 every month. This is completely deceptive, but the scammers try to walk the line claiming everything is there if people just read the Terms of Service.
This new scam does not walk any lines – it flat out lies and fabricates. Julia Miller is not a health reporter, in fact she is not even real! She is whatever stock photo they can find for their site. The News 7 Health or News 6 Health sites – also not real. Just fake facades for someone selling Acai. Of course the comments, testimonials and before and after pictures – all made up. I guess the scammers were not stealing enough money by deceiving, so they had to evolve into full out fabrication mode.
FTC – You Need to Take Action – NOW!
We uncovered this scam in about 5 minutes. To our fine hard working friends at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) – how about you spend a few hours building a case against these guys? These scams are costing Americans millions of dollars a year. Could their be more deceptive advertising than this?
Drop us a comment, let us know what you think. Are you as outraged as us?
View The Scam In Action With This Video
Click Here to Watch A Screen Capture Video Exposing These Acai Scam Health Sites.
Additional Resources:
Oprah and Illinois Attorney General File Suit Against Acai Scam Companies
How I Lost $90 in 30 Days Using the Acai Berry
What Did Oprah and Dr Oz Really Say About Acai
Acai Berry Scams – How to Avoid Them
Acai Berry Maxx named Texas Lawsuit
Free Black Belt Course in Spotting Acai Berry Scams
How Do You Stop An Acai Berry Scammer From Scamming?
by Dan-N on March 9, 2010
We love fish oils. Omega 3 fatty acids have some incredibly strong health benefits and we believe everyone can benefit from increasing their intake of Omega 3s. So, it is very troubling to learn that a number of Omega 3 Fish Oil supplements have been found to have carcinogenic chemicals known as polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs.
PCBs, Fish Oil, California… Smells like a Lawsuit!
Yes, last week a lawsuit was filed in California Superior Court in San Francisco. The lawsuit targets eight supplement manufacturers or distributors – CVS Pharmacy, Rite Aid, General Nutrition Corp., Solgar, Twinlab, Now Health, Omega Protein and Pharmavite – for alleged violations of California’s Proposition 65, which requires that consumers be warned about chemical exposures.
The plaintiffs claim that their initial testing found that levels of PCBs in supplements in popular fish oil products varied wildly, from about 12 nanograms per recommended dose in to more than 850 nanograms. They claim that Proposition 65 requires disclosure of all non-zero PCB levels, so they are all in violation of the law.
Is this Really a Big Deal?
Yes – in a number of different ways! First, Omega Protein – named in the lawsuit – is the world’s largest producer of fish oil, so this effects a huge amount of products. Second, it really brings to the forefront one of the big secrets about the supplement industry – labels do not show exactly what is in the supplement!
You can make the argument that 12 nanograms of PCB is not harmful and the benefits of Omega 3s outweigh the dangers of 12 nanograms of PCB – but this misses the bigger point. The issue is, should consumers know exactly what they are putting into their body. We firmly believe consumers should know exactly what is in their supplements and then they can make their own choices based on the facts.
Omega Protein Has Many Issues With the Lawsuit
Not surprisingly, Omega Protein disagrees with the allegations in the lawsuit. You can read their Press Release -
Omega Protein Comments on Lawsuit
There are very valid points about how you test for PCB and exactly what Prop 65 requires. In addition, a number of independent groups have stepped forward to say that their testing shows that fish oil supplements are completely safe and free of contaminants.
Fish Oil is too important of a supplement to see washed away with a lawsuit. Our hope is that this lawsuit puts the spotlight on testing and labeling requirements more than on the safety of fish oil. Anything that makes supplement labels more open and honest is a major step in the right direction.
by Dan-N on February 25, 2010
Forget Resveratrol. Forget Acai Berries. No, if you want to turn back the clock on aging you need something new, something exotic, something like…. Whey Protein !?!? Yes this sounds crazy and maybe it is, but we recently read a piece that got us thinking there may actually be something to plain old whey protein helping with aging.
Telomere, DNA, Aging and Whey Protein – What is The Connection?
There are many theories of why we age. One popular theory is that as our cells age, we age. Cells are made up of chromosomes and DNA. At the end of the DNA is something called the Telomere. We start with a telomere that is about 15,000 bases long and by the time we die our telomere is 5,000 bases long. This is an amazing oversimplification, but the concept is – as our telomer shortens (less bases) we age and eventually die. So, if we could decrease the rate of telomere shortening we could slow the aging process.
The Whey Protein Connection
We think whey protein is a great way to increase protein intake and terrific for people looking to put on muscle mass. We never considered whey protein an anti-aging superfood until we read Dr. Mercola’s article (link at the bottom). It turns out that some studies have shown that
The theory is, if you feed your body whey protein – you give your body what it needs to release an enzyme that stops the telomere from shortening.
1 Part Science and 1 Part Science Fiction
We want to be clear that this is just a theory, which while based on some sound science, could still turn out to be science fiction. There are a few to many “ifs” and “maybes” for us – but it is interesting. As whey protein is already considered a very strong supplement for many other health benefits, this would just be an incredible bonus to an already strong supplement.
Additional Resources:
Read the Entire Dr. Mercola Piece and Video Here. We have greatly simplified things here and he even has pretty pictures and a video! The end of the article is basically a commercial for his whey protein, but the rest of the article is very interesting reading.
by Dan-N on February 22, 2010
You have no doubt seen the ads….
Take Acai Berry to magical melt the pounds away. But wait, don’t order yet – you also need to take a Colon Cleanse – to flush 30 pounds of waste out of your system. Yes, take Acai and a Colon Cleanse and in 30 days you will be the next Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model!
Are Acai and a Colon Cleanse Really Like Peanut Butter and Jelly?
No! We get a large number of questions regarding the use of a colon cleanse with an acai berry supplement. As numerous other web sites are claiming that you need to take Acai and a Colon Cleanse together, we are often asked why we don’t recommend a colon cleanse along with the Perfect Acai.
Well, there is a very simple answer – we don’t feel like misleading you today! Go ahead and do a search online to try to find one clinical study showing a positive effect from combining Acai with a Colon Cleanse. Go ahead, we will wait…
Back so soon? You probably found a million websites trying to sell you Acai and a Colon Cleanse – but did you find one clinical study to support their claims? No. We don’t mean to be cynical, but the real reason everyone else is pushing a Colon Cleanse with Acai is that they make more money if you buy two supplements instead of one.
Is a Colon Cleanse Useless?
Maybe. We do not claim to be experts on all the various colon cleanse products on the market. What we do know is that the body absorbs the calories from food before it reaches the colon. So, claims that you will lose lots of weight from a colon cleanse are not valid.
Can a colon cleanse help some people? Maybe. You can do your own research. All we are saying is that this connection between the Acai Berry and a Colon Cleanse is a marketing creation. We guarantee you that the people of the Amazon Rain Forest are not washing down their Acai bowls with a colon cleanse chaser!
Quality Acai Products Can Stand on Their Own
Pure Organic Acai Berry products such as the Perfect Acai, can stand on their own as an incredibly nutritious supplement. If a company is telling you that you need a Colon Cleanse to make their Acai product work – that would be a company we would avoid.
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