Markets Wired

The Federal Trade Commission is mailing 11,585 refund checks totaling more than $464,000 starting today to consumers who lost money buying dietary supplements deceptively marketed as “fat burning” and “calorie blocking.” These are legitimate checks, and the FTC encourages consumers who receive them to cash them before they expire on April 21.

The refunds are being made from funds collected through a July 2014 settlement with Canadian marketers who falsely claimed that their Double Shot pills would cause rapid, substantial, and permanent weight loss without diet or exercise. According to the FTC’s complaint, Manon Fernet and the company she controls, which did business as the “Freedom Center Against Obesity,” marketed Double Shot to U.S. consumers from 2012 through October 2013. The company falsely claimed that users could eat as much of any food as they wanted and lose 15 to 20 pounds a week, just by taking the pills.

Rust Consulting, Inc., the redress administrator for this matter, will mail refund checks to eligible consumers beginning today. The checks must be cashed by April 21, 2015 or they will become void. Recipients should note that the FTC never requires consumers to pay money or provide information before redress checks can be cashed.

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics. Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.