Miracle weight loss emails dominate our email inboxes every single day. Whether the email touts a product endorsed by Dr. Oz, includes a testimonial, or vivid before-and-after photos, they all have one thing in common—they’re a scam.
Dr. Oz miracle weight loss
I never wanted my messages to be hijacked by marketers on the web…
In May 2015, Dr. Mehmet Oz appeared on “Fox and Friends” to celebrate his 1000th show. As part of the interview, he admitted he’d made a mistake by endorsing miracle weight loss supplements. He said, “I wish I’d never used the laudatory terms I used for weight loss supplements. That was the big mistake I think we all acknowledge. I stopped doing that a long time ago, over a year ago…I never wanted my messages to be hijacked by marketers on the web that are stealing my name and likeness and trying to sell you products.”
Lose 20 pounds in a week!
Many of weight loss emails tout products they claim will help you to lose weight in record time. The claims continue to escalate with higher targets in shorter timelines. The sad truth is, you can’t won’t lose the weight faster than you put it on. WebMD turned to registered dietician Althea Zanecosky on this subject. “There have always been quack weight loss schemes out there because nobody ever believes that you can’t lose weight faster than you gained it. It maybe took two years for them to gain those 15 pounds, but they want to lose it in two weeks.” Zanecosky also said a realistic target is one-to-two pounds a week.
Testimonials and photos
A picture is worth a thousand words…and the scammers know it. They take photos, enhance the before to make it look worse and the after to make it look better. It’s not hard to do and once the photos are on the internet, they can be used time-and-again. Just because you see a frumpy, overweight woman with a bad haircut turn into a hot blonde in take-me-now stilettos, doesn’t mean it’s for real.
You can help by sharing. Here’s a tweet ready to go.
[tweetthis display_mode=”button_link”]Here’s a good #scamtip about weight loss scams…[/tweetthis] — Here’s a good #scamtip about weight loss scams…
Dr. Oz made things easier for the scammers because he lent his name to their products for a while. Whatever good intentions he may have had, he opened a door. He did fess up to his mistake on national TV. You don’t have to make the same mistake yourself. Send those miracle weight loss emails to the trash. And if you have fallen for one of them, consider reporting the scam at FTC.gov.
This isn’t the first time I have heard of the scammy dealings of Dr Oz. I hate the way people are so taken in by him and just will not believe that he is for sale to the highest bidder. You’d think that being a cardiac surgeon would have brought him enough profit but he is greedy and tries to fool gullible people into buying snake oil. Shame on him.