SCAM ALERT: Want to Lose Some Pounds in the New Year? Don’t Lose Your Hard-Earned Cash While Scammers Fatten Up Their Bank Accounts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 8, 2017

Contact: James Hallinan (505) 660-2216

Albuquerque, NM – As 2018 begins, Attorney General Hector Balderas is warning consumers against weight loss scams targeting New Mexicans for their New Year’s resolutions. Scammers often take advantage of the fact that many New Mexicans make New Year’s resolutions to lose weight by advertising pills, regimes, diets, and exercise machines that promise miraculous and unrealistic results. Almost without exception, these promises are at best misleading, and at worst completely false.

“Beware of any garment, gizmo, pill or potion that promises weight loss with little or no effort because if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” said Attorney General Balderas. “Don’t let these scammers thin your bank account while they promise absurd results to fatten up their cash reserves.”

Know these signs of a weight-loss scam:

• Claims that you can lose weight without diet or exercise. When in doubt, consult your physician or other healthcare professional.
• Buzzwords such as “miracle,” “revolutionary,” “secret,” “guaranteed results” and “scientific breakthrough.”
• Claims that you will lose X amount of pounds in X amount of days. No product or plan can guarantee specific results; everyone is different.
• Claims that you can burn fat while you sleep and/or by wearing or rubbing on a product. According to the Mayo Clinic, weight loss is an internal metabolic process and no patch, lotion, etc. can accelerate that process or eliminate fat in specific areas.
• Promises of “permanent” weight loss.

For more information about weight loss claims and devices, visit www.ftc.gov. If you believe you have been a victim of a weight loss scam, please contact the Consumer and Environmental Protection Division of the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office by calling toll-free 844-255-9210.

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