Do you have crow’s feet, turkey neck, laugh lines, or frown lines? What about a spare tire, muffin top, potbelly, saddlebags, love handles, batwings, cankles, or crinkle-pits? It seems that every inch of our bodies are being cataloged and scrutinized by companies who promise to shave off five, ten, or twenty years of wear and tear. We know we can’t all be perfect, but when the pressure to look good has us feeling vulnerable, scammers can swoop in and take advantage of our insecurities.
A SOFTER, SMOOTHER SCAM
Since the first caveman stumbled out of his cave and felt a bit sorer and rough around the edges than usual, humankind has been on a quest for eternal youth and beauty. People have tried everything to shave of a few years or pounds, including crocodile-dung rouge and poisonous powders. What would inspire so many fine looking people to smear themselves with all sorts of dangerous things in pursuit of that ‘healthy glow?’
A common cosmetic product pitch begins by wearing you down and making you think there is something wrong with you. You look tired, you feel tired, you look old, you feel old, but wait! We have the solution! It is an ancient folk remedy improved by the miracle of modern science! Just apply this cream twice a day!
AYE, THERE’S THE RUB
But extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof, and for the most part these companies don’t have it. If over-the-counter creams and treatments claim to have the same or greater effect as prescription salves and medical procedures, one of two things is going on:
The less likely of the two options is they may be juicing their product with regulated and dangerous substances and just not telling anyone about it. Prescription medication and medical procedures are controlled by government agencies because they are dangerous and should be left in the hands of professionals. If you think you are getting a little something extra out of your skin creams by avoiding a prescription, you might be right: some side effects include thinning of skin, intense irritation, heart defects, hormonal imbalance, and glandular problems.
The more likely answer to these extraordinary claims is the more obvious one: they are not true. If it seems too good to be true it probably is, and when these snake oil salesmen roll into town or onto your internet browser take a step back and assess the situation. Are its claims over the top? Are you setting yourself up for disappointment? Have other people complained about the company’s product or the business practices?
IMPULSE BUYS
Another thing these companies do is all too common in the infomercial and pop-up add marketing circuits. They offer you a free trial, an introductory offer, free shipping and handling, so on and so forth, to get you on the phone. You order a limited amount, say one bottle of face cream, and they say they will you a free second bottle. The company ships the two bottles (or four bottles, or eighteen bottles) separately and charges exorbitant fees for each. While you thought you were paying $19.95 plus $9.00 shipping in handling, your bank gets charged over $100. When you call to return the unwanted products or complain, you are given the run around, treated poorly, or even threatened with legal action. These bully like tactics make it less likely you’ll ever get your money back, money you never thought you were handing over in the first place.
A HEALTHY GLOW
Don’t get us wrong: cosmetics are not scams in and of themselves. With or without them, we human beings would still be preening and pruning our bodies and clothes to make us look better. Why? Some people dress to impress, but most of us try to look good to feel good. It isn’t that certain shade of red, the moisturizing scrub crystals, or the notes of lavender that shine through your cosmetic products, but a more confident side of you that radiates from beneath them.
Even if you have smile lines, people notice your smile first and foremost. People won’t see your crow’s feet if your eyes are beaming. Don’t stop using the products that make you feel better, but don’t let hot air from snake oil salesmen inflate your expectations to leave you and your bank account feeling deflated a few weeks down the line. Stay informed about who you’re buying from and what you are buying and don’t forget, smart and savvy looks good on everyone
See Also
Weight Loss Scams: No Surprise
Fake FBI Scam
Penny Stock Scams
Beware of this company “womansbeautyjournel.com/skin/uk/index.php?subid=header
I agreed to buy 2 sample bottles at £1.99 each/ Parcel was sent to England with no postage and our Post Office wanted £38 to be paid before they could deliver it. I would not agree with that but now this company has billed my account with £129.98 for goods I have not receivedDon’t believe in these companies that come on E.Bay
I hate to think how much money Perfect Radiance & Revitaderm got from people. I was furious when I realised I’d lost control over the money that was getting taken from my credit card. Ended up cancelling the card. There are 2 other similar products out there now NuVisage and DermaScience. I wouldnt put it past the former scammers to have renamed their products and re-released. WATCH OUT & READ THE TERMS & CONDITIONS BEFORE GIVING YOUR CREDIT CARD DETAILS
I too have been scammed,ive been billed for 2 lots of bellaplex,when i only wanted the sample how do you know if this product agrees with your skin go to you card company,you have to try and notify the company????????i sent an e-mail to the english company to be told nothing to do with them,there is a phone number on the back of the trial pack i tried,the automated service asks for you card number,that i did not give and guess what they cut you off.
i told my card company i will pay the card off and then close the account i was told i would still be billed?????not a happy bunny i have written a strong e-mail to the card company why pay a protection on the card when you can not get it stopped,i will let you know if i get an answer.
the card company told me it is in small writing on the bellaplex that you enter a contract.
AND YES MY WAS WHEN I WAS ON E-BAY.
I ordered a cosmetic product from Total Body Wellness, Clearwater, Floruda and did not like it and returned the next shipment foi a credit of $82.50. They have billed my credit card for $82.50 which I refuse ti pay as the product nas returned to the company and I an learning that others have beeb scammed too.
l.
A scam, they will keep taking money from your credit card account, inform the police
Revitaderm is the company, based in West Lothian
These websites prey on our insecurity about our appearance, especially as we are getting older. I had requested samples from two different companies for anti-wrinkle products, only to discover too late that they were both known scammers! What a naive idiot! You would think by this age I would know better – it’s a very expensive lesson, and I still have to find a way to stop the ongoing supply I seem to have unknowingly signed up for. I wish there was some way these groups could be caught and banned from advertising. Caveat emptor!
I too am elderly and my children always tell me to be careful but the cream I received was nice to use but when I saw online statement that I was charged £166 88p total for a free sample, I rang the credit card at once which is today. They have stopped my card now and I will phone them monday to see what is the next step is because I cant afford such a big amount like that. I do have an address in the box that the cream came in so I will try them as well.
I was also billed twice for Juveneu and Collagen I did not order.
How do you stop this once it starts. Only sent away for a free trial. SIlly me. What a dumb bunny
BEWARE OF REVITALIZE HEALTH & BEAUTY AT PO BOX 13583 LINLITHGOW WEST LOTHIAN EH49 9AP UNITED KINGDOM they have in the past two months from nov till now deducted from my card account a total of 250. Will let u know if I’ve stopped them from taking any further unauthorized deductions. They deal with perfect radiance where u send for a free trail & its suppose to only the cost of postage. Struth if it hadve worked was quite willing to continue buying. have received neither of the said products they said u have to use together & this scam I saw on FACEBOOK. Help others become aware of these scameRS & this site should be where mills go to like the one used by these arsholes FACEBOOK
I to have been scammed i answered the free trial and got 2 bottles of product that went in the bin i was charged 84.42 gbp and again they have charged 85.51 a couple weeks later
Please do not answer these trials
Mine was wilth Brithish Health Foundation so i thought it was safe
I too have been tricked out of two amounts of money for rejuvanew products. I have now cancelled my bank card so they cannot get any more money from my account. I am now wary of the creams as I dont know if they are genuine ! Does anyone know ?
I am embarrassed to admit that I fell victim to a scam by a company
called Natural Health Net selling a “14 day trial” of PuraSilk, an
Anti-aging cream for “only $4.95” shipping and handling and if I didn’t like the product for whatever reason, I could simply ship it back
and never “pay a dime.” The reason I quote that is that I have
written documentation or proof of this on their own website! We may
have been sucked in by their false advertising, Misleading statements & unauthorized credit card charges, but we can fight back. Let’s share our embarrassing stories with others so they do not get ripped off like some of us. I was able to get my credit card company to disput any unauthorized charges but, not taking any chances of further charges than their origin invoice which reached my email inbox within hours of ordering the trial of PuraSilk! So much for their false ad of only $4.95! I immediately contacted their company which is supposedly located in Southern California, USA, but their warehouse which ships many products (probably the same bad and perhaps dangerous skin lotions or creams, under different names like Kollagen Intensive, another scam product advertised the same way as PuraSilk) from their warehouse on the East Coast (Maine I believe it is). And I phoned their So. CA office ASAP for a RMA which you MUST obtain from them and mark the package clearly with that number as I did in every side of that box as soon as it arrived without even opening it! Then I took it to the UPS store or you could try the post office and I mailed it back with a tracking number. It cost me over $15 but it is well worth not having additional charges on my credit card and the company did refund me all of my money except for that four dollars and 95 cents for shipping charges on the original box of their so called anti wrinkle cream that they were so sure I would love, another comment taken from their own website and these people are so stupid that they allowed me to make negative comments on their website about them being a scam company! I did lose about $40 altogether but the anxious, fearful feelings I had, and the many hours of lost sleep until I saw for myself which charges were made on my Credi card! You must act quickly and deliberately, and follow their return instructions exactly or they will Legally be able to charge you as it states in their “terms and conditions”. Be very careful and read the terms and conditions all the way through: theirs was about 15 pages full of legal terms, etc. before you agree to any of these on line skin care companies! I feel very fortunate that I stopped that company from charging me an additional $89.99 as it first showed up at my credit card company! Be sure you have a good credit card company who will help you dispute any unauthorized charges as you may need it. That’s my story and I hope I can save others from my misery and loss of money.
i have also been caught up in this by sending for samples juevente/ revitaderm pure collegen lift and glow and many other names are all the same company and are stealing money frommy account they must be stopped can anyone help without having to put all details of accounts on internet I am very wary of giving my details now whats wrong with just being able to phone and get advise please everyone do not buy any cosmetics or any beauty products on line be WARNED
Hi there, I have had the same thing happen to me and have charges on my credit card for $324!!! I contacted the customer service numbers on the terms and conditions that I found for ordering samples of Aqualift and Vitaderm. These contact numbers DO NOT BELONG to either one of these companies!!!! I called the 2 numbers and let these legit companies about the SCAM that Vitaderm and Aqualift are doing. I had some of the charges on my card reversed by my credit card company and them called the Police to report the Internet Counterfiet scam. CALL THE POLICE and make a complaint to shut these a**holes down!!!
I hate to think how much money Perfect Radiance & Revitaderm got from people. I was furious when I realised I’d lost control over the money that was getting taken from my credit card. Ended up cancelling the card. There are 2 other similar products out there now NuVisage and DermaScience. I wouldnt put it past the former scammers to have renamed their products and re-released. WATCH OUT & READ THE TERMS & CONDITIONS BEFORE GIVING YOUR CREDIT CARD DETAILS
I have been scammed by four different companies and I have received nothing.
I might have shown an interest ina a free sample but changed my mind. I have lost over £120.
I have been totally scammed by these companies and I have nothing. I ordered nothing and the first I knew of them taking money out of my bank account was on the 30th of January 2012 but they had been taking money since October. I have received nothing from them no free samples or anything. I am mystified. My bank are blaming me and saying that I must have ordered a free trial and that I have not remembered doing so.
Britensure….Googled company and found scam reports. Researched company who trades in the UK under CYC marketing, owned by Jordan Finger, UK Director ID: 913531747. Further director is Janet Elaine Berry, UK Director ID: 903578069. Listed as director of 338 companies, most of which dormant.
Date of Birth: 08/1973 Address; 2786 Ardis Place, Bellmore,New York NY11 710.USA. Also owns Movie Star Look, Union Consultancy, Healthy Margins in the UK. Dermify, Gleamify,Flawless Effect in US and probably many other similar companies in Europe. Previous issues with Advertising Standards Association for upheld complaint for “the pink patch” slimming aid.
CEO for Ardis Health, USA. See “LinkedIn” (professional network site) profile for his achievements, awards, press releases and business appointments etc…and claims to his integrity. Built the so-called Ardis empire on scams and other people’s mis-fortune and yet NY business community appear to hold him in high regard and he is the Social Chair of the Entrepreneurs Organistion NY Chapter, referenced in Forbes magazine and speaker at Global Conferences. Hypocrite, fraudster and sham. Sitting on fortune based on fleecing the general public! There are contact details within conversations on here….contact Vanessa at Customer Services. I sent a long email outlining all the fraudulent ways and got a refund…also copied it to his various companies for prompt action!!!! There is no excuse for this practice, but more people MUST voice their concern to halt this despicable practice. I urge everyone to act, complain, make some noise!!!!!!
BEWARE * PURITY MINERAL MAKEUP * Charged to my cell phone THREE TIMES @ $9.99 each time!! I was asked to choose Coke or Pepsi while waiting for a download on Facebook. After doing so it wouldn’t let me out until I did a brief survey which then, to get out of the survey it said I had to choose a product from a list. I of course picked a trial size make-up for ONLY $1.00 which finally let me out! Shortly thereafter I receive an email thanking me for the order and I’m being billed for $129.00!! Responding to the email, I CANCEL the order. Well today my cell phone bill is due and I’m screaming at them for the amount I was billed. After several hours & a terrible attitude, I’m told it was from an Alerts/Trivia billing me for three transactions to my phone ( I was on computer not phone)! Then I was directed to todaysbest.com. and now I’m doing this. Thank you for this website, I had no idea it even existed. Hoping for some help and that this may help someone else!
I too have been tricked out of two amounts of money for rejuvanew products. I have now cancelled my bank card so they cannot get any more money from my account. I am now wary of the creams as I dont know if they are genuine ! Does anyone know ?
I got conned into buying dead sea beauty kit free trial and pure collagen free trial I have now cancelled my card and will be staying away from free trials. Lush illumination is another free trial scam
To whom it may concern sighed up for the Lush product,paid shipping and handleing three maybe four weeks ago,Lush promise 3-4 business days,….I tried calling just to get voice mail box,…Lush,NOT SO LUSH AFTER ALL….
Do NOT give any f your bank / card details to a company claiming they’ll send you Dead Sea minerals products for a only the cost of postage. You will be charged another £59.95 for yor “free” trial and that’s only if you manage to put a stop to further payments. Otherwise you’l be charged this on a monthly basis.