Turn to Tara: Think before you click on celebrity-endorsed online ads

Anyone on the internet has seen them - attention-grabbing ads endorsed by celebrities promising everything from miracle weight loss to cure-all vitamins.

News 12 Staff

Jul 23, 2019, 10:17 PM

Updated 1,746 days ago

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Anyone on the internet has seen them - attention-grabbing ads endorsed by celebrities promising everything from miracle weight loss to cure-all vitamins.
A Turn to Tara investigation shows that consumers should think twice before clicking on them.
Daniella Molina told News 12’s Tara Rosenblum that she kept seeing an ad for Nutra-SX, which promised dramatic weight loss and an energy boost.
She says the cost was just $5.95 for the shipping, so she ordered it on her credit card. Ten days later she was charged $80.
When she called them, the person she spoke to said Molina failed to cancel her 14-day subscription. Her next call was to the Better Business Bureau which was able to secure her a refund several months later.
Consumer experts says outcomes like that are extremely rare.
Brian Rauer, of the Mid-Hudson Better Business Bureau, says the scam is exploding locally.
“There is a great celebrity endorsement, unfortunately, the celebrities don't know they are endorsing this product because they have never heard of it,” he says.
According to Rauer, the best way to avoid the monthly charges that follow is to be weary of any ads promising free or no-risk obligations that have terms and conditions hard to find.
 


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