Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Glucobate


Take a look at this site for Glucobate, a product advertised as an extract of muskmelon that can help regulate blood sugar:


Did you click the "Order Now!" button? If you did, you'll have been greeted with this message from the FTC ...
"[Glucobate] is a phony ad for a phony product created by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to alert consumers to the dangers of diabetes treatment scams on the Internet."

They then list some tips on how to spot scams.

Creating fake websites isn't the only thing the FTC and the FDA are doing to battle advertising for fraudulent diabetes treatments. They've already sent about 200 warning letters to online merchants threatening to seize products or limit operations if recipients don't take action to correct their deceptive practices.

Here's what their letter looks like:
Sample Letter

And here are a few letter recipients:
List of Firms Receiving Warning Letters for Marketing Unproven Dietary Supplements for Diabetes with Illegal Drug Claims

You can read more about the FTC and FDA's drive to stop deception here:
FTC and FDA Act Against Internet Vendors of Fraudulent Diabetes Cures and Treatments