Better Business Bureau Warns of New Years Scams

ZANESVILLE, OH – With the New Year coming around, it brings out the same old scammers looking to capitalize on the holiday.

The Better Business Bureau wants to make sure you and your family are safe with your personal information this new year and beyond.

Judy Dollison, the President and CEO of the BBB of Central Ohio, says a lot of times scammers are going after people who are looking to shed a few pounds and shares about what you should watch for.

“We really recommend that you really pay attention to some of these advertisements that you see.” Dollision said. “You come across testimonials and misleading ads that talk about how much weight you can lose and we see a lot, even some celebrity endorsed advertisements that isn’t really endorsed by that celebrity so there’s a lot of deceptive ads you need to watch out for.”

Dollison says many of these fake ads have false promises attached to them and she says if it sounds too good to be true, then it is a scam.

“Be cautious of any products that are claiming weight loss without exercise, also a red flag.” Dollison said. “Likely any kind of weight loss is going to have lifestyle changes in addition to that and you should always check the FDA guidelines and verify that the ingredients are approved through the FDA. Especially if it’s pills or powders or herbs, some products have been recalled for containing potentially harmful substances so you really want to make sure before you purchase that and especially before you start taking a product, that it is safe.”

For more information or to report a scam, you can head to the BBB’s website.