by Dan-N on December 18, 2009
There is an old corny joke -
Q- How Do You Stop An Elephant From Charing?
A – Take Away His Credit Cards
Well, it looks like Visa has finally seen the giant Elephant in the room – All the Free Trial Acai Berry Scammers – and true to the joke, they have taken away their credit cards!
Visa Inc. Cuts Off 100 Merchants Who Have Been Deceiving Consumers
On December 17, 2009 Visa Inc. announced they cut off 100 scammers who used bogus marketing techniques to dupe consumers in the past six months. The scam involves what is called “negative option” or “forced continuity”. This is a process where the consumer signs up to get something for free (such as Acai or Resveratrol) and is just asked to enter a credit card to pay for shipping. What the consumer does not see is that there is tiny print buried pages deep in the site that says they give the company the right to charge them upwards of $90 a month and continue to bill them for products every month.
“The game here is to get people hooked, keep them on the hook for monthly charges as long as you can, and only stop making those charges when you’re forced to,” said Stephen Salter, vice president of BBB Online. BBB has received thousands of complaints about the problem, with multiple companies to blame. “The product is irrelevant to getting the charges on the card.”
Let’s All Welcome Visa Inc on Board the Stop Acai Scams Bandwagon – What Took You So Long!
Any regular regular of this blog knows that we have been calling for authorities to shut down these Acai scam sites for close to a year now. We have seen Attorney Generals from various states bring actions, The Better Business Bureau issue warnings and Oprah bringing a massive lawsuit against the scammers. Still, we have always felt the best way to stop these acai scammers was to hit them in the wallet and cut off their ability to accept credit cards. So, while Visa Inc is a little late to the party – we definitely welcome them and applaud their actions.
100 Merchants? Is That All the Acai Scammers Out There?
No – just a small drop in the bucket. The good news is this sends another signal to any company who practiced deception online that deceit does not pay. Maybe they were not caught in this round by Visa Inc. Maybe they were not named in the Oprah Lawsuit. Maybe the FDA and FTC has not filed charges against them today. Maybe the Attorney General in their state has not shut them down yet… but tomorrow is another day and they might be next.
We really believe the way to stop these Acai scams is to create an environment where the risk outweighs the reward. These scammers are all about making money and not getting caught. As they start to see more legal action taken, their risk of getting caught increases. Let’s hope everyone keeps applying more pressure so we can all believe in the old adage again – crime does not pay!
Additional Resources:
Black Belt Course In Spotting Acai Berry Scams
Visa Inc Information on Negative Option and Deceptive Marketing
Visa, FTC and BBB Press Release on Avoiding Online Scams
by Dan-N on December 17, 2009
Millions of people have choosen to use Viagra (the brand name for Sildenafil). It is clear that the whole Erectile Dysfunction (ED) market has become a bonanza for the pharmaceutical companies. What is less clear is that many more of us are using Viagra (sildenafil) without even knowing it!
The Hot New Ingredient for Supplements – Sildenafil!
We first reported last week that a number of acai supplements were causing side effects. An investigation by Health Canada found that these acai supplements were laced with Sildenafil. It is clear that Sildenafil can have serious side effects and anyone using an acai supplement that contains Sildenafil should stop (here is the list of tainted products).
Now we have learned of more supplements that are tainted with Sildenafil. On December 14, 2009, the FDA posted a notice on its website regarding the recall of many sexual enhancement supplements sold by Atlas Operations, Inc. Apparently over 20 Atlas supplements were tested and they all contained Sulfoaildenafil, an analogue of Sildenafil. Of course since Sildenafil is a prescription drug it can not be legally used in supplements, and therefore a full recall was ordered -
Read the FDA Press Release on the Recall
Why Is Everyone Trying to Get Us To Take and ED Drug?
To be honest – we are not sure! We get why Atlas, a company that makes sexual function supplements would try to improve the performance of their supplements by adding Sildenafil. It is incredibly dangerous and irresponsible to spike a supplement with a drug, but at least we can see the motive.
It is a little more of a mystery on why you would spike an Acai supplement with an ED drug. You do feel the effects of Sildenafil, so maybe the idea is to try to get people to think they “feel” the Acai working right away.
Our Advice – Go With Trusted Companies
Some people will look at these stories and claim that they prove that all supplements are dangerous and unregulated. This is not the case. Supplements are regulated, and adding drugs to supplements is clearly not allowed – hence the recall. In any industry you will have dishonest companies – the key is to avoid these companies – not all supplements.
Our advice is to stick with trusted supplement companies that have a proven track record. You want to be able to contact the company with any questions you may have. In addition, do a search at the FDA website to make sure the company does not have any issues.
by Dan-N on December 9, 2009
A quick follow-up to our post yesterday – Who Can Explain The Mysterious Acai Berry Side Effects? In our article we talked about how we had heard reports of side effects when using Acai products, but it was probably due to other ingredients mixed in with the Acai. Well, it looks like we were partially right – it was from other ingredients, just not ones listed on the label.
How About Some Sildenafil To Go With Your Acai
On 12/8/09 Health Canada reported that they had identified a number of Acai supplements that contained the erectile dysfunction drug Sildenafil. Of course, Sildenafil was not listed on the label since it is a prescription drug. Health Canada states…
“The prescription drug is used to treat erectile dysfunction, but could cause serious side-effects in some people and should only be used under the supervision of a doctor.”
Well, it looks like we just figured out where the mysterious side effects with Acai were coming from. Health Canada goes on to state -
“But it notes that sildenafil should never be used by people taking a nitrate drug, for example nitroglycerine, as it can cause low blood pressure. Individuals with heart problems taking sildenafil would be at higher risk of heart attack, stroke, chest pain, high blood pressure and abnormal heartbeat. Other side-effects include headache, facial flushing, indigestion, dizziness, abnormal vision and hearing loss, Health Canada says.”
Health Canada found traces of Sildenafil in the following brands: Anti-Aging Acai Berry, Guarana Blast, Brazillian Pure, Anti-aging Vital Rez V, Weight Loss VitalAcai, Dietary Supplement Acai Power Blast and Muscle Mass.
To Avoid Acai Berry Side Effects – Use Pure and Tested Acai Brands
It feels like we say this about 100 times a day, but probably worth repeating – if you are going to try Acai, stick with a pure and trusted brand of Acai. Our brand of choice is the the Perfect Acai, because it has just one ingredient – 100% Organic Freeze Dried Acai and is a well established brand with a strong history of safe usage.
Additional Resources:
Read the Full Story from Health Canada (with photos of tainted Acai products)
by Dan-N on December 8, 2009
Update: 12/09/09 – After you read this post, please read our next post – Acai Berry Supplements Found to Contain Dangerous Prescription Drugs – which probably explains this whole side effect mystery.
Over the past few days we have received a number of questions regarding the acai berry and potential side effects. It turns out a number of our readers were using an acai supplement and seeing some nasty side effects. We heard reports of upset stomachs, rashes and increased blood pressure and what felt like a “racing heart”. We decided to dig a little deeper…
What Happened to Acai Berry Being Side Effect Free?
As the Acai Berry is a fruit, it is generally considered to be free of side effects (unless you have a food allergy to Acai). In following up with our readers who had problems, we quickly located the issue. People using acai supplements with other ingredients added were the ones having the side effects.
Correction – Pure Acai Berry Supplements Are Side Effect Free
A product like the Perfect Acai, which is 100% Pure Organic Freeze Dried Acai – and absolutely nothing else added – is generally going to be side effect free. The problem is that many of the Acai products on the market mix in a wide range of other ingredients. The “Weight Loss Acai Supplements” are the worst when it comes to mixing in potentially unsafe ingredients. We have seen acai supplements loaded with caffeine and other thermogenic ingredients.
In emailing with the people who thought they were having side effects from Acai, it became clear that the side effects were mostly likely caused by the other ingredients in their Acai supplements.
To Avoid Acai Berry Side Effects, stay Pure and Organic!
We highly recommend that people looking to use Acai, stick with a pure and organic product such as the Perfect Acai. It is highly unlikely you will have side effects from a pure Acai berry product, and if by some chance you do, you will at least know your issue is with Acai and not some other ingredient.
Our Standard Disclaimer – We Are Not Giving Medical Advice
Nothing we say here should be taken as medical advice. If you have any specific medical questions you should consult with your doctor. While most fruits, including Acai, tend to be free of side effects – you should consult with your doctor before starting any new supplementation program.
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