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 there 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.
Help Us Get The Word Out on This Acai Scam
The more people who know the truth about Health News 6 and Julia Miller – the less people who will fall victim to the scam. Let’s get the word out and let everyone know about this. Please link to this article, put it on your FaceBook page, Tweet about it – do whatever you can to make sure people know that this is scam. We really appreciate your help!
Update on Julia Miller Scams and The Quest for Real Acai (3/31/10)
Since we published this article on 3/12 we have had an incredible response. Thank you to everyone who has linked to this article, together we have helped thousands of people find out about the Julia Miller scam before they wasted their money. There is still more work to be done, we have seen the scammers start to change Julia Miller’s name – but we will keep after them.
As our regular readers know, we try to keep this blog as non-commercial as possible. However, we have had so many readers ask us if there are any real Acai supplements available, we felt it would be wrong not the mention the brand of Acai we love and trust. Perfect Acai is a 100% Pure Organic Acai supplement that involves no free trials, memberships or other games. It is simply real acai, available for purchase without any tricks or scams.
Update on Even More Disgusting Acai Berry Scam (4/29/10)
Just when you think these Acai scammers can not get any lower… they do! Take a look at our post on the Denise Randall US Medical Journal Acai Scam – it is so bad you really need to see it to believe it!
Additional Resources:
Oprah and Illinois Attorney General File Suit Against Acai Scam Companies
Oprah Writes, then Throws Book At Acai Scammers
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?
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I found another picture of a third Julia Miller. This one has shoulder length straight brown hair. She said that she was down to 140 pounds, after losing about 30. The picture looks like she ways 120 and was never fat in her life.
I just looked on the site and they are now health news 8 jus let you know.
Too little too late!
I found this site warning people about the acai scam after the second charge on my card. Customer service in not in the US. Most interesting thing is that I ordered the trial acai max cleanse and received a bottle of something called maximum burn cleanse. I called customer service (still not knowing it was a scam) and said that they must have send me the wrong product by accident. The lady on the phone proceeded to tell me that this product works the same and I will receive the actual acai product on my next monthly shipping. I canceled the account and still continue to see cahrges on my statements. When I asked to speak to a manager or supervisor the rep told me that he/she was the best and only person who can help me. Also when I called about the recurring charges they said that my account has already been canceled and someone must be using my credit card and I should call them back in two weeks to see if I can have my money back…. for a product I NEVER ordered. The name of the product charging me is COLOPURE CLEANSE ans WEIGHTLOSS SYSTEMS and they are both operated by the same company called syndex industries.
Please don’t fall for this garbage
If you find one of the sites and scroll down to the terms and conditions, it says \"We are not affiliated in any way with Channel 7, News Channel 7,\" etc;. Farther down in the terms, it says \"This website is loosely based off a story.\" Also, \"The story/comments above are not to be taken literally\". You can see in the Optimum terms that you will receive a $150 charge for a membership, and then be charged $13 a month for the acai. It is the same for the colothin. The entire thing \"isn\’t to be taken literally\", they\’re just scamming you for your money.
Now there\’s a third picture up and the News center is 5 instead of 7. It took me 30 seconds to google Julia Miller and find this scram warning. It pays to do your homework.
I found another one – Julia Miller from Channel 5 News – Milwaukee. The only problem is we don’t have channel 5, there is channel 4 and 6 and some others, but definitely not channel 5 News!
I was fooled!!!!!! I did it! : ( I got the colon stuff via snail mail but have yet to receive the acai. Not only that but ever since I gave them my number on the website I\\\’ve been getting phone calls from some random 888 number trying to get me to be scammed even more, several times a day!!!! I canceled my debit card!!! This is really a shame. But unfortunately I think there is nothing to do about it.
I too have been scammed. After the first call and then 4 more to follow. I found myself screaming at these women, who obviously are one and the same. They offered me a $20. refund after charging me 88. and wanted me to send the free bottle back (unopened). I am furious at them and myself for being so stupid. I have to get another debit card to stop the charges.
What I find more disturbing is that I reached the scam page from a link on WebMD…
Hi Richard,
The “link” you saw on WebMD was actually a paid ad. Sites like WebMD have deals with ad networks and people are often confused by who is responsible for the link – WebMD or a paid ad.
Thanks,
Dan
I too was scammed !!!! I ordered the trial acai max cleanse and received a bottle of something called maximum burn cleanse??? I called the customer service and got a message that they were experiencing technical difficulties and to call back in 2-3 DAYS! To make matters even worse I received the $88 dollar charge before the 10day trail period was up!!! I am now reporting this as a fraudulant charge to my bank in order to get the $88 back and need to get a new ATM card in order to avoid any future charges!!!
I clicked a link that said Acai Berry EXPOSED: New Bedford – New Bedford Warning: Health Reporter Discovers the Shocking Truth!
It brought me to yet another Julia Miller. It appeared as though she was a real reporter at channel 6, a real local station.
channel6reports.com/health/
I’m glad I did the research – I almost fell for it.
If it sounds too good to be true it probably is!
I am so glad that I found this article. I went to the site and read everything and thought that the site looked weird. I\’m glad that I found this article as I was going to send the link to my wife as she has been talking about doing this. I found your article on Google. Thanks for not only saving me some money, but also stopping my wife from feeling as bad as some of these other people are feeling.
I fell for it and they charged me $169 when the $2 was what I agreed to. I filed a claim with my bank and closed the account. I called customer service and the recording while I waited stated they will need my card again to track the order and the website, I dont think so!
Surely there must be some sort of come back on groups like this. It seems pretty obvious that they are doing the same thing time after time, with no intention of supplying the products asked for, especially at the price suggested (free trial).
There MUST be a law to make these people accountable, and to shut them down for good.
Hi Mr. Tetanus,
Yes these companies are breaking laws by deceiving the consumer, the problem is the penalty is just not stiff enough. It is a simple case where crime does pay. Take a look at this post –
http://www.powersupplements.com/blog/685/colorado-thinks-charging-40m-for-free-acai-trials-is-a-tad-deceptive/
The company makes $40 Million a year in the scam and has to pay back just $9 million?
The penalty has to be made stiffer, so that crime does NOT pay.
Thanks,
Dan
Always pay with a credit card. You can do a charge-back when there is fraud.
I was really lucky on this one, I ordered the product and THEN found all the stuff saying it was a scam.
Luckily i phoned the help and got straight through, they cancelled the order straight away.
A week later I received one of the free trial products and emailed the support centre. Assuming I would have to pay express post and return the product.
Surprisingly they said their records showed I cancelled my subscription before they shipped it and I was even allowed to keep the product. I have kept tabs on my account and no charges were made so I was really lucky.
Lets hope everybody finds out sooner rather than later.
I am in love with Julia Miller on News 6. The one on News 7 does nothing for me
I was excited to learn about this product and ALMOST signed up for the free trial. I decided to do a little more research….everything I started to find was w/this Julia Miller. It took me till the 3rd article to realize that there were different pics of this lady, so instead of just typing in “Acai” for my search, I typed “Acai Scams”. This was much better wat to search for this product mainly b/c I found this site and another company that freeze dries the product, and was able to actually explain and not give a detailed sales pitch.
Anyone who is looking to do research on a product, watch out b/c what you put in your search engine makes all the difference in the world!
About a year ago my wife ordered a trial sample , she was not happy , we returned and then they did not refund the money. I called them and asked them why they did not refund the money. They said they did not receieve the trial bottle back. Thanks god I had told my wife to mail the bottle back with delivery confirmation. I gave them the confirmation number they said “yeah we see it in the system now” they refunded our money. However a company kept charging $5.95 everymonth. I called the credit card company told them the story , changed my credit card number, got all my money back.
By the way noticed that there is an ad on weather.com about acai sh..t . Another scam … I am trying to reach weather.com customer servise but coudn’tfind find a number yet..
Thats what i found on one of its webpage under the copyright;The statements made on this website have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. The FDA only evaluates foods and drugs, not supplements like these products. These products are not intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease. It is important to note that this site and the comments/answers depicted above is to be used as an illustrative example of what some individuals have achieved with this/these products. This website, and any page on the website, is based loosely off a true story, but has been modified in multiple ways including, but not limited to: the story, the photos, and the comments. Thus, this page, and any page on this website, are not to be taken literally or as a non-fiction story. This page, and the results mentioned on this page, although achievable for some, are not to be construed as the results that you may achieve on the same routine. I UNDERSTAND THIS WEBSITE IS ONLY ILLUSTRATIVE OF WHAT MIGHT BE ACHIEVABLE FROM USING THIS/THESE PRODUCTS, AND THAT THE STORY/COMMENTS DEPICTED ABOVE IS NOT TO BE TAKEN LITERALLY. This page receives compensation for clicks on or purchase of products featured on this site.
© 2010 International Media Licensing All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy
I’m so mad.. I want to beat the crap out of something.
25 lbs in 28 days! – absurd, impossible, nonsense.
To do that you need to account for 87,500 calories, or an average of 3,150 calories per day.
When you understand basics, you know these Acai Berry ads are BULLSHIT. Certainly some of the most disgusting, unconscionable, and shameless I have seen in all my days.
I will never understand why people care what ‘celebrities’ think, or what they endorse
Ugh! I got scammed! I should have known it was too good to be true. However, I called my credit card company and cancelled both charges. We’ll see if I get any “free” products.
Im glad i found this page. This has kept me from making a realy bad mistake.
Thanks!
I was sent to one of the scam sites through a post from my friend on Facebook. A public message to her friend about how she had \"shred\" 7 lbs in 7 days. I was curious and clicked on the link. As it turns out her FB page was hijacked and many phony messages were sent to out through her friends list. Fortunately all I had to do was google \"Julia Miller\" to find out it was a scam.
I got scammed too. Just over $250 that I dont have. bye bye rent money. These people are horrible. I thought it was a legitimate news story. My wedding is coming up and I wanted to look my best. I cancelled my debit card. My bank said it was possible for them to get my money back for me if the account this company is using is a scam and not a company. Ok not making any sense Im just soo upset. I live week by week. I didnt have this money to go missing. how am I meant to pay the rent?
I got scammed on this also. We women over 65 are not all that enthused about 2 hours on a treadmill every day so we look for the easy way out…i.e., Acai Berry. I thought, what the heck, a free trial, give it a try. I clicked yes and gave them my credit card…. THEN I read the fine print. YIKES! At least I used a little foresight and gave them a card that I rarely use. 10 minutes later I’m calling the credit card number to have them change my number! What a mess. Everyone knows, it is a pain to chase around for a pair of glasses to read the fine print. From now on, trust me, I will do the chase! Someone should sue these people in a Class Action suit. C’mon you gals who are married to lawyers, get busy!
I just have been scammed by this company. I ordered the free trial and was hit with two charges on my credit card of 70.94 and 169.95. I called the company and they ARE Refusing to give me back my money. Plus it does NOT work… I have gained weight. I really wish since I got the article off CNN heath pages, this would have been deleted before people started purchasing it. I was trusting CNN… Oh well
I’m so glad you guys are out here watching out and posting this information. I was looking at the Milwaukee News 5 ad, and thought it was to good to be true. I searched the net to find your site. Thanks you for looking out for us!!! Keep up the good work.
my news 7 story was Diane on 7/24 /10, after taking it hook line and sinker I knew I should have researched this ad. sure enough, next day I google news 7 acai and look what I find, I\’m heading to the bank 1st thing in the a.m. and stopping this in its tracks. So far It looks like I might only be out $7
I love how people want these scammers punished. They didn’t take your money, you gave it to them. You should be punished for thinking some magic powder is better than HARD WORK like eating well and EXERCISE. Not one single diet has EVER worked. You must change your habits permanently.
NOTHING IS EVER FREE folks. Shame on you, not on them.
This is only getting worse… If you start googling Acai the search engines are so flooded with fake reports and Acai webpages you don\’t see true testimonials and the scam for what it is… I just was scammed by them yesterday and I only knew because the Fraud division at my bank called 5 min after I purchased. I was knew I had made the transaction but was confusesd why they were confirming a $2.00 payment… So I asked what was charged… Two payments of $99.96 so after taxes a total of just over $202. I called the company\’s for the two products I bought and ended up talking to the same person 3 seperate times from 3 seperate phone #\’s and 3 sepereate names Karen, Taylor and Erie… All the exact same person, same tone same accent. I tried to cancel immediantly but apparently 5 min after my order was placed it was already shipped and could not be refunded. I did theoretically get the future shipments and payments stopped but ended up cancelling my card this morning just in case. I am out $200 for the initial purchase and might not get it back since I used a debit card. Also please note that when I talked to the customer service lady she said I should have read the terms and conditions. I did, they switch them though after the purchase. The original terms and conditions stated 14 day trial with option to cancel with only losing the payment for shipping and handling, after the purchase I receive the \"mail-in rebate\"(2nd) terms and condition which state no matter what I will owe the $99.96 per order when I put my payment information in and submit. They baited and switched! This has to have some legal recourse! I don\’t want their product (which most likely does not work since they have to scam people to sell it) and I just want my hard earned money back. Can someone who knows anything about taking some action please comment and put information down explaining what people like us can do to get our money back and stop this rediculous BS. Thank you
I got scammed too. Wish I had found your website before I purchase, but i believed the news ad. Also their free trial webpage did not mention anything beyond the initial cost which included a rebate.
Trying to get refund via my bank. I opened a case with my bank to investigate. I got a temp refund and a new check card.
Hi Jon,
We completely believe in having all points of views on this site, so we appreciate you taking the time to comment. That being said, we have to strongly disagree with you. These companies that are making up fake people, fake news stations and tricking people are breaking the law – that is a fact. You can read over some of the stories on our site, you will see that Attorney Generals in 5 different states have successful brought cases against these companies.
What you have here is a company that is breaking the law. Since this is the case, we do NOT believe you can blame the victims for “falling” for the scam. I get your point that people need to stop searching for a magic bullet for weight loss – losing weight involves hard work. I am with you on that point. However, if someone wants to try to find a shortcut for weight loss and then falls victim to a scam – they are still victims.
Again we appreciate your comment and love having all sides told on this site, but I just think it is wrong to start “blaming the victim”. Yes, the victim may have been looking for a shortcut to weight loss, which you think is foolish, but a victim is still a victim.
Thanks,
Dan
I saw this page (a third looks like) news report and wanted to see if this Julia Miller was even a real reporter. Glad searched.
online6reports.com/HEALTH/Acai-Berry-Diet/report.php
Julia Miller now has a completely new persona, and is now working for News5reports.
I wish people were smarter about their research before making purchases! We were all caught by the promise of a quick fix to weight loss..who doesn’t… but some of us are wise enough to doubt such dramatic promises! Its called the BBB or Consumer Report. My clue (before ever getting to that point) was clicking on the news site icons above the “reporters” picture and it going right to the ad…hello! Its called clip art not endorsement! People! Most internet/ad scams are easy to detect……use your brain!
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