As human beings, our health is often very important to us. Everyone wants to be as healthy as they possibly can in order to live their lives as best they can. When we do fall ill or suffer from diseases or ailments, we often look for ways to heal ourselves as quickly and effectively as possible. The problem is that sometimes we are so desperate to become better that we make ourselves vulnerable to things such as health fraud scams.
What are health fraud scams?
Health fraud scams are products which treat or cure diseases, ailments or other health conditions. What makes them different to good health care is that they are often not proven to be safe or effective for their uses. The danger that health care scams pose is that they often lead to serious delays in seeking effective or proper diagnosis and treatment. This can cause serious injury or even death so it is important to be able to identify health fraud scams in order to protect yourself. Another negative aspect of these scams is that they often waste the user’s time and money which as you can imagine is also very upsetting.
How can I spot a health fraud scam?
Scams can often be difficult to spot but if you look out for a few things, you can usually identify them. Look out for phrases such as “quick fix”, “one product does it all” and “scientific breakthrough.” These terms are often red flags as they promise the quick results that the sufferer is looking for. It is important to:
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Be smart:
Remember that scams often target those with chronic or incurable diseases. As always, if it’s too good to be true then it probably is.
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Be aware:
Familiarise yourself with some of the common health fraud scams (some of which I will discuss later) and phrases.
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Be careful:
If a product claims to be a miracle cure for everything under the sun then it is more than likely a scam. No single product can treat or cure many different illnesses or cure incurable diseases.
What are the common types of health fraud scams?
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Weight Loss Scams:
Products which promise quick and easy weight loss pray on people’s desire to be slimmer. These products not only don’t work but can often be extremely hazardous to your health.
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Cancer, Diabetes, HIV and AIDS Scams:
All of the above are chronic diseases which sufferers are often desperate to treat or cure. These conditions are unfortunately incurable. They are however treatable BUT require individualised treatments. Relying on unproven treatments are not only unlikely to work, they can be extremely hazardous and also cause harmful delays in getting the proper diagnosis and treatments.
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Influenza:
We have undoubtedly all suffered from a nasty bout of the flu at some point in our lives and are therefore very familiar with how much we would do to get rid of it. Scams may promise to help you get rid of the flu faster or even help you avoid the latest flu however there is little to no evidence to support these claims.
Health fraud scams can be found anywhere from TV commercials to internet ads to flyers or even word of mouth. It is always important to remember to utilise the steps mentioned above to identify scams and to avoid being a victim of them. Always consult a registered practitioner before trying any new medication or treatments in order to save yourself from wasting time and money and most importantly to avoid serious injury.