what you can do

Screening Tips  |  Spot the Fake (coming soon!)

No publication or station wants to print or air false weight loss claims. The best way to avoid running false advertising is to use common sense. The best defensive weapon in your arsenal is your gut instinct that a particular ad promises more than it could possibly deliver. You can spot false claims for weight loss in the same way you probably already screen ads for taste and appropriateness.  Read the ad before you publish it, and Red Flag ads for nonprescription drugs, dietary supplements, skin patches, creams, wraps, earrings, or other products that are worn on the body or rubbed into the skin if they make any of the following claims:

• Cause weight loss of two pounds or more a week for a month or more without dieting or exercise

• Cause substantial weight loss no matter what or how much the consumer eats

• Cause permanent weight loss (even when the consumer stops using product)

• Block the absorption of fat or calories to enable consumers to lose substantial weight

• Safely enable consumers to lose more than three pounds per week for more than four weeks

• Cause substantial weight loss for all users

• Cause substantial weight loss by wearing it on the body or rubbing it into the skin

In addition, below are some general tips on how to screen ads effectively and particular tip-offs -buzz words or techniques - to help you identify some of the most common fraudulent weight loss ads.

By learning to spot the tell-tale signs of fraudulent advertising, you can protect your customers, your bottom line, your reputation, and the good name of your legitimate advertisers.

All-Purpose Advertising Screening Tips

1. If an advertiser refuses to answer your questions or to make changes in the ad, it may be a tip-off to a deception. You have the right to reject an ad for any reason.
   
2. Don't let your guard down around deadline time. Fraudulent advertisers know when you're at your busiest and may try to slip one past you at the last minute.
   
3. If an ad is unclear to you, it will be unclear to your readers, listeners or viewers. If you don't know the nature of the product or service offered, ask the advertiser for clarification. Your request for information may deter some unscrupulous advertisers and may help legitimate businesses clarify any unintended vagaries before an ad is disseminated to their customers (and yours).
   
4. Is the copy outlandish? Are the claims too good to be true? Perhaps the advertiser's creative team needs a refresher on the "rules of the road."
   
5. Verify the integrity, stability and performance of new advertisers, especially when they make an unusually large media buy. Scam artists are in it for the short term. Once they've made a quick buck, they often skip town, leaving dissatisfied customers and unpaid bills in their wake. So check out the credit. Check out the source.
   
6. Check out the fine print. Dense blocks of tiny text and fleeting TV supers aren't just annoying - they may be illegal. The law requires disclosures and disclaimers to be "clear and conspicuous." That means big enough for consumers to read and understand.
   
7. Watch out for the asterisks and footnotes. A disclosure at the bottom of a page won't cure an otherwise deceptive ad.
   
8. Ads with glowing consumer testimonials, can sometimes be a tip-off to deception. This can be true for before-and-after photos, too.
   
9. Get the street address and telephone number of every advertiser. In many cities - New York, for example - a post office box number must be accompanied by a street address. If the company is small, get the home address and telephone number of the principal.
   
10. Be wary of an advertiser who pays you with a bounced check. Even if they come up with the cash later, it may signal a disregard for ethical business practices. At the same time, just because the check clears doesn't mean the company is legit.