FTC Cracks down on "fake" websites

PROVIDENCE, R.I (WPRI) - Some companies that market the popular Acai weight loss products are coming under fire. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wants to stop the operators from using what the government calls, deceptive claims.

One look at one of these websites and you would think it's a major news investigation into a popular diet pill. After all, it has some pretty impressive endorsements. Call 12 for Action found one site that it even shows a picture of the reporter who says she personally put one of the pills to the test and lost 25 pounds!

But the FTC isn't so sure. According to the government the news site is fake and really an advertisement for a weight loss company.

Now, the FTC is asking federal courts nationwide to temporarily stop 10 websites for allegedly deceptive tactics to market acai berry weight loss products.

But the director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection says almost everything about these sites is fake. The weight loss results, the so-called investigations, and even the reporters.

The FTC is asking the courts to bar the allegedly deceptive claims and require the companies to provide money for refunds to consumers who purchased the supplements and other products.

According to the FTC the defendants collectively paid more than $10M in advertisements, and have likely received well in excess of that amount in commissions.