by S. Linda Jensen

Created on: June 09, 2009   Last Updated: June 21, 2009

Acai Berry Detox Scam

Looking for ways to detox your body would seem easy with the myriad of products available at the pharmacy and health stores. Many of us trust enough to make such a purchase on-line and recently some of us did just that.

The product Acai Berry Detox was advertised on the MSN homepage and with it there were articles about Dr. Phil and Oprah recommending such products. One would assume that such visible and popular celebrities would never associate their names with a rip off! So the trusting persons that many of us are we would order the "free trial offer" and pay only shipping and handling. Now that seems so simple anyone would think it could only be harmless, nothing except shipping and handling lost if you don't like the product, right?

Wrong! What you have just unwittingly given is access to your personal information, debit card, credit card or checking account. These crooks now have your home address, phone number and enough information to sell to others for a tidy profit above the shipping and handling. Alas, the pain has only begun.

Within the trial period your card or accounts will be billed for the full price of the next thirty-day supply of the product (almost all of them are about 87.13 to 87.90 for a thirty day supply). You will begin to wonder why there is not an answer when you try to call the phone number listed on the web site or bottle of product. All of a sudden you realize if you can't reach a person you can't cancel the order! Mailing it back is useless and sending a written request for a refund won't work either.

One phone number for FWM Laboratories, the company that sent the Acai Berry product to many of the folks duped into placing orders for the free trial offers, is a computerized answering machine. The recorded message actually asks for your information including the card numbers again. (Please don't enter any information, hang up.) Other numbers found are no longer in service for this company.

So now people have over drafts because they thought they were getting a thirty-day trial product. They could afford up to $5.95 but they did not and would never have authorized a direct draft from their accounts for almost $90.00.

Now imagine that this is happening all over the country and around the world. These con artists are bringing in multi-millions of dollars; it could even be 60 or 70 million if they have duped over 500,000 individuals or ripped off multiple payments from many individuals. In March a news

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