April
2008
Fraudulant natural cholesterol treatments
Fraud is a strong word, but that is exactly what appears to have happened with a product called Cholestasys.
A report from United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri shows that the American authorities have taken this alleged fraudulant cholesterol medicine off the market, and are taking many people involved in it to court on fraud and similar charges.
The press release took many of us by surprise, as Micronutra, one of the companies involed in the alleged fraud, appeared to all intense and purposes to be a rock solid business with a brick and mortar shop front.
It’s Google advertising was astronomical, often dominating the google ads shown on web sites. Different web sites were shown, but most were relays to the micronutra site.
If the fraud allegations are upheld, it means millions of people from around the world may have been deceived and robbed of their money. More heinously, some people may well have had their life lost by using this product, or suffered disability and or deformity from stroke caused by uncontrolled cholesterol.
If that alleged fraud wasn’t enough, the companies and people involved are also on charges related to other natural treatments, including their diabetes treatment.
So what went wrong, we don’t fully know, but it may have been a sugar pill. Apparently all the medications were the same.
Some people claiming to be past employees of the Micronutra company or one of its associates, allege that guarantees were not honoured. Customers would be told they would receive the refund on return of the product, but the refunds were not give.
The returned pills were then tipped into a big barrel and then reused in other containers - didn’t appear to matter what product was being returned, they were all apparently just tipped into the same barrel.