Whenever a disaster strikes, or in this case, a health scare, the crooks can't be far behind. Since the first appearance of H1N1 Swine Flu, those crooks have been plotting ways to take our hard earned money, knowing that we will pay for products that we believe will keep us safe or protected. Now bogus, counterfeit and unapproved swine flu products are being fraudulently sold to unsuspecting consumers, mostly on the Internet.
New fake products are appearing almost daily. Some of them are actually approved medical products, but they have not been proven to be effective for preventing or combating swine flu. The FDA describes the websites that promote them as "illegally marketing unapproved, uncleared, or unauthorized products in relation to the 2009 H1N1 (Swine) Flu Virus."
What happens if you fall for one of these fake products? While not all of them are harmful in and of themselves, they may hurt you in other ways. First, they are possibly harmful because they will give you a false sense of security -- as if you can't catch the flu because somehow you are "protected." Second, because none of them can cure you, you may not seek real medical treatment believing you are being helped.
The FDA maintains an updated list of these fraudulent H1N1 swine flu products on its website.
There are a dozen different categories, representing almost 150 different bogus products:
- Air System Products
- Device Products
- Gloves Products
- Herbal Extract Products
- Inhaler Products
- Kit Products
- Mask Products
- Shampoo Products
- Spray Products
- Supplement Products
- Tea Products
- Test Products
In some cases, we can look at the type of product and know it won't work -- like shampoo. In others we need to look a little more carefully to realize these products can't be helpful. As with any product you might find, on the Internet or elsewhere, you'll want to double check to be sure it is coming from a credible source and can be helpful to you.
If you have purchased one of the products listed above, or find another product you'd like the FDA to investigate, you can notify the FDA through its Office of Criminal Investigations.
