The weight loss biz is full of scams and cheaters. That’s because people who want to lose weight can be an easy target for the unscrupulous. The war on obesity makes it easier than ever to cheat people who are desperate to lose weight.
While it has become socially unacceptable to ridicule people for their disabilities, overweight people continue to be fair game. The rationalization is, “they did it to themselves with their bad eating habits and aversion to exercise.”
It’s no surprise that people whose weight draws stares, jeers, and unkind comments may want to lose weight so badly that they’ll try anything. It makes sense, sad, but understandable that people with a lot of weight to lose will try anything and everything.
People who don’t trust themselves to lose weight are convinced that they need some sort of miracle. There are a million weight loss scams that look as though they are the miracle the obese Americans need to finally get to a weight loss goal. There are millions of people who fall for these scams.
Weight loss is possible. Losing weight with a “break through”product that produces overnight results no changes in eating and exercising habits are necessary is a scam. The results pictured here most likely are 2 different men.
7 ways to recognize a weight loss scam
If you see any of these phrases or promises, you’re looking at a scam.
- Works without changes to eating or exercise habits
- Fast weight loss progress in a short amount of time ( example: Lose 30 pounds in 30 Days)
- Blocks calories. Eat as much as you want while you lose weight
- Lose weight in your sleep
- Effortless weight loss simply by wearing a special garment under your clothes
- Lose weight by rubbing product on your skin or the specific body part you want to reduce
- Non surgical gastric bypass
These results are fake. Rubbing a lotion or cream on your thighs won’t reduce the size or appearance – ever.
Weight Watchers set an important industry standard by making a national policy out of the Weight-Loss Consumer Bill of Rights developed for New York City by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs in the early 1990’s. This important information helps consumers of weight loss goods and services make an informed decision and avoid scams.
click on image to enlarge
If you are paying for a weight loss product or service remember that scams can cost you a lot of money and even your health. Be especially careful when signing up for products and services online. Read all of the small print before you enter your payment information and click on submit.
This advice even applies to reputable companies such as Weight Watchers that offers a discount plan with an automatic online renewal.
click on image to enlarge
The information following the words PLEASE NOTE: is important and often overlooked. People are upset to see a second monthly charge only two weeks (about 15 days) after signing up and making their initial payment for the first month.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to read everything before entering credit card information and clicking SUBMIT.
She’s smiling now because she’s eager to get her free bottle of magic formula weight loss serum that is going to help her lose 20 pounds without diet or exercise. 2 months later and $400.00 poorer, and still weighing the same she won’t be so happy.
Many of the truly corrupt and crafty online weight loss scams hook you with a free sample and all you need to pay is for shipping and handling. The S&H charge may seem a little high, but since you’re excited about trying the miraculous weight loss product, it seems like a small price to pay so you enter your credit card information online not knowing that hidden somewhere on that website you have agreed for ongoing shipments of the product at a very high price.
You thought you got these worthless pills as a free sample. You only paid shipping and handling and that’s a good thing because they don’t do anything. Why do more bottles of these pills keep arriving every month? Then you check your credit card statement to discover you have been paying $120.00 for every shipment you received.
That’s bad enough but when you try to opt out of the auto shipments and charges you can’t find a way to do so online, or a phone number to call that actually connects you with somebody who will cancel your shipments. You can’t even find a physical or mailing address for this company that clearly preys on people who are looking for magical, effortless weight loss.
You can go from this to this, but you won’t get those results overnight. I won’t promise that weight loss is easy, but I will promise you it’s worth the time and work it takes to be successful.
Save yourself, time, trouble, disappointment and money. Before you purchase any online weight loss product or service refer to the 7 ways to recognize a weight loss scam in this blog. If you see any of sure signs of a scam, don’t be fooled, just close the website.
