14 DAY TRIAL // The Online Security Company has put together a list of no less than 75 websites that help users lose money rather than pounds. At lest a third of the results of online searches on themes concerning dieting are sites that proliferate misleading advertising or deceptive billing practices. Although such online scams are not novelty, McAfee warned about the amplitude to which they have grown on the web.
McAfee has comprised the list taking into account criteria for obvious exaggerated advertising such as: "Lose weight without diet or exercise" or "Lose 30 pounds in 30 days". But the Security Company has focused mainly on bait-and-switch misleading billing practices. Users are attracted by free samples; they gave in to temptation and share their credit card information only to find themselves subscribing members of different online services.
"This problem has broad ramifications: Consumers search online for "Hoodia", "diet pills" and related key words for an estimated 24 million times per month," noted Kelly Ford, director of marketing for McAfee. "Sadly, the bottom line is that most users who try these sites are more likely to lose money than pounds."