Dietary Supplement Scams

[wobblybee]

Dietary Supplement Scams

AARP | Comments: 0

En español | The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t evaluate the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements such as vitamins, minerals, herbal remedies, enzymes and probiotics, but that doesn’t stop people from consuming them in the hope of attaining smoother skin, stronger muscles, sharper minds or better health. Older adults, in particular, are big users: A 2019 AARP survey found that 69 percent of baby boomers and 76 percent of the older Greatest and Silent generations take vitamins or supplements.

Supplements can have genuine health benefits — helping us meet changing nutritional needs as we age, for example. Unfortunately, the supplement trade also attracts plenty of scammers who spread disinformation in order to hype questionable products and entice the unwary with deceptive marketing schemes.

Makers and sellers of bogus supplements use direct mail and websites (often designed to mimic real news and magazine sites) to tout their products’ efficacy against all kinds of ills. Claims to improve memory, ease arthritis, even stave off the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease may be accompanied by enthusiastic testimonials from satisfied users, impressive results from clinical studies and ringing endorsements from medical specialists — all of them fabricated.

If you’re skeptical, scammers have another enticement — a free, no-risk trial offer. What have you got to lose? Money, and potentially a lot of it. You’ll probably be charged a nominal shipping fee, but that gives the fraudsters your credit card information. They may go ahead and bill you for the full price of the product or enroll you in a long-term subscription costing hundreds of dollars a year, under terms that are undisclosed or buried deep in the fine print.

These scams can hurt more than your bank account. Supplements, even those described as “natural,” may pose health risks. Some interact harmfully with particular medications or alter their effectiveness. Worse yet, in recent years regulators have discovered that hundreds of supplements are tainted with prescription drugs and other potentially dangerous chemicals.

Warning Signs

Promises that a product will treat or prevent diseases, especially if the claim is that it can cure a whole range of ailments at once.

Companies that urge you to hurry up and order a product because supplies may not last.

Do's

Do be skeptical about promotional materials filled with scientific-sounding terms such as “glucose metabolism” or “thermogenesis.” The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns that scammers use jargon like that to mislead consumers.

Do research a supplement company online. Look for complaints about it from other consumers.

Do look for signs of fake news. Deceptive marketers appropriate the logos and names of familiar publications and news outlets to give their product claims an air of legitimacy.

Do keep an eye on your credit card statements so you can spot right away if you’re being billed for something you didn’t order. If that happens, report it to your credit card company and see if you can get your money back.

Do contact your doctor immediately if you have an adverse reaction or become ill after taking a dietary supplement.

Don'ts

Don't give too much credence to extreme claims about a product — for example, that it can reduce blood pressure by 60 points or burn 4,000 calories a day of excess fat to promote rapid weight loss.

Don’t try a product unless you’ve talked to your doctor about potential side effects and interactions with any legitimate medications you’re taking.

Don’t enter into any subscription deal unless you understand what you’re getting into. Carefully read the full terms, including the fine print, and make sure there are clearly stated steps for canceling shipments and subscriptions.

Don’t pay by debit card. Credit cards offer much greater fraud protection.

AARP Fraud Watch Network

AARP’s Fraud Watch Network can help you spot and avoid scams. Sign up for free “watchdog alerts," review our scam-tracking map, or call our toll-free fraud helpline if you or a loved one suspect you’ve been a victim.

More Resources

The Food and Drug Administration’s website has a section on dietary supplements that includes a fact sheet for consumers over 50.

If you have an adverse reaction to a dietary supplement, file a safety report with the FDA.

If you suspect a supplement scam, call the Federal Trade Commission at 877-382-4357 or file a report online.

Also From AARP

Despite Concerns, Most Older Adults Use Vitamins, Supplements

Supplement Pills That Promise Too Much

Supplements to Take in Your 50s, 60s and 70s

FDA Vows Greater Regulation of Dietary Supplements

Updated December 5, 2019

[pinjem]

That is a helpful post, simple skepticism is needed. I do take some supplements and sometimes they seem to make a difference. In the UK Trading Standards, accessed through a webpage and aided by Citizens Advice are the people to contact if a product is dubious or makes odd claims, they are very supportive and thorough, a screenshot and links are helpful.

[LuisRodicioRodicio]

Thank you.

Luis

[Sphinx21]

Hi wobblybee , I felt compelled to write to you I read an article you wrote about going to see your specialist/ doctor with your husband and how it was an early appointment ( 9am) that you wouldn’t be be back until later and that you would pay for it the next day etc everything you wrote I felt like you were writing my life story that someone truly got me amazing I am 46 and have a rare form of c a from birth no one in my family has it but they cannot track the gene down as of yet as its so rare .

[wobblybee in reply to Sphinx21]

🙂 I would think it’s a safe bet for most people diagnosed with ataxia to suffer next day when they’ve had to multitask in strange surroundings. But mornings do seem to be the most challenging, it’s a real effort to get everything into gear after lying down all night.

On first waking, and when I’m lying still, I actually feel great and as though things have gone back to normal🙂 But as soon as I sit up, the ‘new norm’ kicks in🥴 I suspect this is very common.

It is frustrating when you’ve been given a diagnosis of ataxia, but no-one can say what caused it, or pin it down to any one of 40-50 current recognised types.

There’s no family history for me either, but I know the ataxia isn’t late-onset or Acquired.

Don’t give up hope, and keep in touch with your Neurologist, new mutant genes are still being discovered🙂

[Sphinx21]

Thankyou so much for your reply it’s great to be able to talk to someone who relates mornings are increasingly difficult for me especially as I suffer with falls and migraines and have to take medication which has a sedative effect on top of the fatigue we already suffer and as you say reality kicks in .... please keep us updated 😄