Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has filed consumer fraud lawsuits against three suppliers and an affiliate marketer of acai berry products charging the companies lure customers with free online trial offers via aggressive Internet marketing tactics and then charge their credit cards prematurely.
“For thousands of dieters, the quest for a miracle product has become a nightmare,” said Attorney General Madigan. “Far too often, consumers end up losing their money – not weight – in these deals.”
Lisa Madigan
Illinois Attorney General
In addition, Harpo, Inc, producers of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and “The Dr. Oz Show” along with Dr. Mehmet Oz, filed a trademark infringement complaint against 40 Internet marketers of dietary supplements, including acai berry products among others. Neither Winfrey nor Dr. Oz ever endorsed any acai berry or dietary supplement.
Named in the lawsuits are Advanced Wellness Research, Crush LLC and its owner, TMP Nevada, Inc. and Larby Amirouche, an affiliate marketer that uses search engines, pop-up ads, websites, and advertising on social networks to drive traffic to suppliers websites.
The complaint alleges that many consumers did not receive shipment of the trial supplements before they were billed and the companies made it nearly impossible to cancel future orders.
The suits are asking the court for a permanent injunction barring the companies from selling dietary supplements and continuing with misleading marketing schemes. The lawsuits also ask the court to pay restitution for consumers who have lost money and civil penalties of $50,000 for violating consumer fraud laws.
“We must hold these Internet scammers accountable for their role in a seedy marketing game that steers unsuspecting consumers to online schemes,” Madigan said.
“We also need to send a clear message to other marketers and networks in the business of designing misleading, traffic enticing schemes.”
