Quackery/Health Fraud
(Consumer Health Unit)
TSWBAT to define health fraud and quackery.
TSWBAT differentiate between different advertising
appeals.
What is Quackery
 Doctor or an advertisement (company) that makes
false claims
 Health Fraud
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Advertising, promotion, and sales of products and services that
have not been scientifically proven safe and effective
How it works
 Plays on human emotion, weakness and fear
How to uncover health fraud
 Is there a promise of a cure for a condition, which
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currently has no cure?
Quick/Painless Results
Does it claim to work by some secret formula?
Is it sold by telephone, door to door, or mail order?
Is it promoted by little-known person or group?
Is it serviced through infomercials?
Are there testimonials?
Popular Types of Fraud Products
 Beauty Aids
 Play on peoples fear of getting old, fat, and promise youth,
beauty and sex appeal forever.
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Wrinkles, Baldness, Weight Loss
Diet Aids
 Appeals to our need to feel trim and energetic
Food
 Represents the most lucrative areas of quackery.
Fraudulent Devices
 Devices that are promoted to cure ailments
Why protect yourself from quackery?
 You do not want to waste money on products or
services that do not do what they claimed
 You do not want to use harmful products
 You don’t want to delay valuable medical treatment