NutriGold Says Internet Search Engines and Auction Marketplaces Much More To Blame Than Dr. Oz for Perpetuation of Online Scams related to Weight-Loss Supplements

Orem, Utah (PRWEB) July 07, 2014

At Tuesday’s Senate subcommittee hearing, “Protecting Consumers from False and Deceptive Advertising of Weight-Loss Products” Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) reprimanded Dr. Oz for “flowery” language that misleads consumers. NutriGold supports the Senate subcommittee and their assertions, but warns that the “Dr. Oz effect” is as much about the power of Dr. Oz as it is the power of internet search engines and third-party marketplaces that help perpetuate and sustain that effect. If Dr. Oz is culpable because his “flowery” language and “over-the-top” claims inspire scam companies and fraudsters to market fake products using deceptive marketing, then, by the same token, online companies with significant influence over consumers should be just as culpable for providing an easy and convenient platform for unscrupulous marketers to sell products to consumers who implicitly trust the Internet giants to look out for their [the consumers] best interests.

According to Kristina Booth, NutriGold's marketing director, "An important reason why regulatory efforts to curb scam activity has been a failure is that online channels used by unscrupulous marketers to perpetuate and sustain fraud are often exempt from regulatory oversight, accountability and action; this encourages more and more scam companies to get in on the action and leverage Dr. Oz's popularity to sell fake supplements to an unsuspecting audience."

NutriGold recognizes that Dr. Oz directly influences consumer purchasing behavior and agrees that Dr. Oz. should be held accountable for actions that are a direct result of his credibility with consumers. However, NutriGold also believes that internet search engines that accept advertising from scam companies and marketplaces that allow third-party sellers to market products on their selling platform should be held equally accountable for the credibility they cultivate with consumers and the purchasing influence they wield over them.

Lee Peeler, Executive VP of the council of Better Business Bureau, said in testimony that some advertisers make dubious claims in spam messages and maintain only a PO Box address. Priya Khan, Director of R&D at NutriGold, said, “Mr. Peeler suggested that a spam email, unsubstantiated claims about a weight-loss product, and a marketer who cannot be found are the trifecta of a scam. However, the modern-day trifecta of a scam is actually an endorsement on the Dr. Oz show, a top result on a Google search, AND the product available exclusively ONLY on Amazon.com.”

NutriGold believes industry leaders need to stop referring to dishonest marketers as “fringe” elements who operate outside the lawful boundaries of the nutraceutical space. Inspired by the size of the nutraceutical industry pie, eager to take a small portion, emboldened by the lack of accountability, and powered by greed, these scam companies are slowly becoming mainstream. According to Dr. Khan, “Pushing them to the sidelines and hoping they will go away on their own is not a strategy, it is denial and it is precisely this head-in-the-sand attitude that is encouraging scam companies to engage in unethical practices that threaten to destroy the nutraceutical industry’s credibility with consumers.”

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ABOUT NUTRIGOLD
NutriGold is a science-based nutraceutical company committed to identifying, developing, and offering cutting-edge nutraceutical products. With a portfolio of best-in-class products at reasonable prices backed by unmatched service, NutriGold is not just raising the bar on quality, but is helping define the standards for the rest of the industry to follow and this is reflected in its:

+ Use of non-GMO, organic, whole-food, and clinically-proven ingredients
+ Uncompromising efforts to manufacture products without artificial ingredients, Stearates, Laurates, Sulfates, and Dioxides
+ Voluntary, extensive third party testing of all raw materials and finished products for identity, purity, potency, and safety
+ Resolute efforts to ensure that all products are free of contaminants, adulterants, allergens, and GMOs
+ Unwavering commitment to transparency, accountability, and truth in advertising
+ Initiatives to educate consumers so they can make informed decisions that affect their health

Website: nutrigold.com
Phone: 1-866-224-4680
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FREE Product Samples: http://www.nutrigold.com/Free-Samples

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