6 Tip-offs to Rip-offs: Don't Fall for Health Fraud Scams
Miracle Cure Fraudulent Product Sample
Learn to recognize the signs of health fraud. Download this example of a typical fraudulent health product from Flickr.
In this video, FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., and FDA National Health Fraud Coordinator Gary Coody, R.Ph., discuss health fraud and tips for avoiding scams.
On This Page:
Not Worth the Risk
A Pervasive Problem
Tip-Offs
Fraudulent Products RSS Feed
Bogus product! Danger! Health fraud alert!
You’ll never see these warnings on health products, but that’s what you ought to be thinking when you see claims like “miracle cure,” “revolutionary scientific breakthrough,” or “alternative to drugs or surgery.”
Health fraud scams have been around for hundreds of years. The snake oil salesmen of old have morphed into the deceptive, high-tech marketers of today. They prey on people’s desires for easy solutions to difficult health problems—from losing weight to curing serious diseases like cancer.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a health product is fraudulent if it is deceptively promoted as being effective against a disease or health condition but has not been scientifically proven safe and effective for that purpose.
https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm341344.htm
