Two men from Michigan were named in a series of lawsuits filed by the Federal Trade Commission for making false claims about the health benefits of acai berries. The FTC filed a total of ten cases against similar websites across the country.
The FTC says the defendants operated websites that misled consumers by pretending to be news sites. The websites featured phony investigations by reporters who claimed they had tried acai berry products and lost weight as a result. The stories linked to companies that sold the products.
Steven Balster is an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission. He said consumers
“should be aware that the weight loss claims for acai berry are likely false. And they should be skeptical of websites that they visit.”
Balster said consumers should be careful when they buy products online. If the claims for a product are too good to be true, they probably are.
More information about the two cases in Michigan are posted online HERE and HERE.
-Bridget Bodnar, Michigan Radio News
