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In a perfect world, someone hoping to have a more healthy 2021 by losing weight could do so by simply taking a pill, wearing a patch or drinking a detox tea. Unfortunately, medical data points otherwise; but that is not stopping scammers trying to take advantage of new year wellness resolutions, warns Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry.

Attorney General Landry today issued a consumer alert cautioning Louisiana residents of phony weight loss products.

“Pursuing a healthy lifestyle is a great idea,” said Attorney General Landry. “But I strongly encourage consumers to be cautious when purchasing anything that promises weight loss.”

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC): bogus diet products, centers and programs are the top reported complaint amongst health-care related scams.

Scammers tend to promise weight loss products that “melt,” “burn” or “dissolve” unwanted fat. They use these tricks to promote unproven materials with little to no medical testing.
How to recognize if a weight loss product is FAKE: 

• The product claims weight loss without diet or exercising.
• The product promises “instant and permanent” weight loss.
• Claims stating that in order to lose weight, all you have to do is take this pill, wear this patch or apply this cream.
• The product lacks an ingredient list or is on the FDA’s list of potentially harmful weight loss products.
• The product cites a long list of clinical studies that are unrelated to the product, outdated or performed on animals, not humans.

Attorney General Landry encourages consumers to report deceptive ads and products to the FTC by calling 877-FTC-Help. He also recommends checking out the National Institute of Health’s Dietary Supplement Fact Sheets and Nutrition.gov, a USDA-sponsored website that offers credible information to help you make healthful eating choices.

 

To learn more about scams and fraud, visit www.AGJeffLandry.com or call Attorney General Jeff Landry’s Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-351-4889.