Of course most sites that rebill your credit card every month are honest but things to watch out for!<\/p>\n
Bill<\/p>\n
The Acai Berry Rebill Scam
\n19 Apr || by Will Brink
\nPosted in General Brinkzone Stuff, General Health, General fitness info
\nDon\u2019t Fall For The Acai Berry Rebill Scam<\/p>\n
Scams come and go in the supplement industry, and while apparently this one has been going on a while, it\u2019s a big one. Acai Berry a berry from South America, which like all \u201cmiracle foods\u201d before it, promises to cure pretty much everything, is right at the heart of a scam which has cost the US public millions of dollars and a lot of frustration.<\/p>\n
Acai is sold for everything from weight loss, muscle building, and anti aging, to a cure for cancer.<\/p>\n
Minus of course a drop of real science to support the claims and marketed as \u201cthe world\u2019s No. 1 super-food\u201d and other BS \u2026 Interestingly, this scam has two faces, one the product itself, the other, the real biggie, the way it\u2019s billed. Par for the course with such products, the marketing hype far surpasses the science.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s talk about the billing scam first.<\/p>\n
Although not only associated with Acai products, this scam seems to have gone hand in hand with Acai products presumably because people are so desperate to lose weight they will buy into anything that looks like it\u2019s got the edge.<\/p>\n
The scam often goes like this:<\/p>\n
You click on some tantalizing advert somewhere and find a web site offering a free bottle of product or a website showing you where you can get a free bottle of the supplements.<\/p>\n
Generally speaking you initially end up on a fake blog, you can spot them a mile away , they tend to be called something like \u201cJanets-weightlossblog.com\u201d ( I made that up , no idea if it exists) .<\/p>\n
The blog \/ website shows faked testimonials, and before and after photos of \u201cJanet\u201d which have clearly been edited with software like Adobe Photo Shop, Janet , by the way , doesn\u2019t exist, never did, Janet is typically just a stock photo grabbed from the internet, the name a figment of the scammers imagination.<\/p>\n
\u201cJanet\u201d then goes on to explain how she tried everything, blah blah, and how she set up the website just to \u201chelp\u201d people out like her, she then goes on to explain how she used this amazing product and how you can get a bottle for free and also lose 30lbs in 30 days.<\/p>\n
The websites often show Youtube videos of Oprah or a major news outlet, supposedly correlating the ridiculous claims about the product. Fortunately for the scammers I guess nobody actually clicks and plays the videos because they tend to have absolutely nothing to do with the claims being made by the website promoting the product.<\/p>\n
In fact it would seem Oprah and other celebrities are trying to sue the firms promoting Acai using their images or suggesting they support their ludicrous claims.<\/p>\n
Back to the fake blogs.<\/p>\n
The person who set this fake blog\/website up then gets paid by the advertiser everytime somebody takes out the free trial. (Note, I\u2019ve also actually seen them setup fake newspaper websites as well as blogs, these guys are pretty tricky).<\/p>\n
You\u2019re probably thinking , how can they get paid if the product\u2019s being given away for free, read on my friends\u2026.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s only \u201cFREE\u201d on the surface, it\u2019s actually anything but FREE.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the nasty part of the Acai Berry rebill scam.<\/p>\n
They charge a \u201cnominal fee for shipping and handling\u201d, like $5, this has little to do with the handling and everything to do with getting your credit card details.<\/p>\n
What follows then are unauthorized credit card charges \u2013 some up to $80 per month \u2013 that can\u2019t be stopped.<\/p>\n
This has happened all over the \u2018net, and people have had to cancel their credit cards to get it to stop. Sure, some companies have gotten nailed for this, but many still get away with it. For example, according to an ABC News Report:<\/p>\n
\u201cFWM Labs, based in Hollywood, Fla., maintained a Web site promoting acai capsules. The site offered a \u201cfree\u201d sample for a nominal fee for shipping and handling.<\/p>\n
What followed, authorities say, were unauthorized $80 monthly credit card charges that couldn\u2019t be stopped.<\/p>\n
WPLG, ABC\u2019s Miami affiliate, tried to talk with the company in person \u2014 and was referred to the company\u2019s attorneys.<\/p>\n
Alleged victims said they had to cancel their credit cards to get charges to stop. FWM finally agreed to pay $200,000 in penalties, refund millions to customers and stop its allegedly misleading marketing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Take Home Lesson on the Rebill Saga..<\/p>\n
Lesson here folks, nothing of this nature is truly free, so if you see one of these fake blogs or fake newspaper sites offering free product that you just have to give your credit card info to cover shipping and handling fees \u2013 be it an acai product or other \u2013 be wary.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s nothing wrong with paying monthly for legit supplements, or a wine club or indeed a myriad of other things but if you end up at one of these fake blogs then run a mile, \u201cJanet\u201d never existed, your card will be rebilled for huge amounts each month, you won\u2019t be able to contact the company , they won\u2019t take your calls, the only option will be to cancel your card.<\/p>\n
I should note that these guys running the Acai Berry rebill scam also rebadge Acai Berry for numerous uses, weight loss, colon cleanse, muscle building, there\u2019s even some running for penis enlargement and confidence boosters. Beware , these guys come in many forms, but the websites are pretty easy to suss out.<\/p>\n
So what of acai itself? Yes, it\u2019s a berry \u2013 like many others \u2013 loaded with anti oxidants, and like many such fruits, may have some potential health benefits. It has no real weight loss effects, will not cure cancer, will not improve your libido, etc.<\/p>\n
Food scientist in the U.S., at Texas A&M University, Dr. Steve Talcott sums it up well in the ABC News report<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not a miracle berry, unfortunately. It is superior in antioxidants; it does have a very high antioxidant capacity. There is some really unique chemistry to the fruit. But it\u2019s not a drug. It\u2019s not a miracle, cure-all fruit. I mean this is a dietary component. The recommendation is to incorporate these fruits into our diet, but don\u2019t use them as drugs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brink Bottom Line: Acai \u2013 like most \u201csuper foods\u201d that make ridiculous promises not supported by the science, are usually sold via multi level marketing companies (MLM) and or fly by night \u2018net based companies, and my faith in both is non existent. Acai, like most dark fruits, berries, etc is high in anti oxidants, and perfectly healthy as part of an overall nutrition and exercise plan, but don\u2019t get swept up in the marketing hype, and what ever you do, don\u2019t fall for the re bill scam by giving out your credit card info for a \u201cfree\u201d bottle of product.<\/p>\n
If somebody you trust doesn\u2019t recommend it and it\u2019s asking for your card details and you found it from some scammy looking blog, then my advice \u2013 run a mile in the opposite direction.<\/p>\n
If you find any links to these fake blogs then let me know, we will out them.<\/p>\n
—
\nBill Hoidas
\nConsultant Manager Larger B2B\/MOTO\/Internet Accounts
\nProduct Development Manager
\nMatrix Payment Systems
\n(847) 381-3482 office
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\nJohn 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
\nSon, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.<\/p>\n
These days we are facing an economic crisis and need to prepare ourselves more effectively for the recovery – to discover opportunities, identify potential partners looking for opportunities, looking for a reason to hope. Now it’s a good idea to ask: how could my product\/service provide opportunities in today’s economic climate?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Of course most sites that rebill your credit card every month are honest but things to watch out for! Bill The Acai Berry Rebill Scam 19 Apr || by Will Brink Posted in General Brinkzone Stuff, General Health, General fitness info Don\u2019t Fall For The Acai Berry Rebill Scam Scams come and go in the … Continue reading Guard your identity-beware of websites offering free sample and you pay shipping\/how to tell a phony blog<\/span>