Chapter 21. Weight loss scams

Many of us need to drop a few pounds. Fortunately, losing weight is not particularly complicated. Eat a healthy diet with reasonable portions and exercise regularly. It’s simple, but not that easy. Many of us want a quick, easy way to lose weight. The market for weight loss programs and products is huge. The advertisements are compelling, often using celebrities we’re familiar with who proclaim the effectiveness of the particular weight loss product. Generally, these products share two important characteristics: They’re easy to use, and they’re not particularly effective.

In January 2007, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) settled claims against four major marketers of weight loss products. Pursuant to the settlement, ...

Get The Truth About Avoiding Scams now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.