FDA creates new Internet resource to protect consumers from health fraud scams

The science of public health was still in its infancy in the 19th and early 20th centuries when early incarnations of the modern Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tried to protect consumers from "snake oil salesmen" and other shifty characters who swindled the sick and gullible.

And FDA is still on the case—more than a century later. The agency has created a new Internet resource to help consumers recognize and protect themselves from the 21st century versions of these bogus health products.

FDA's Health Fraud Scams website (www.fda.gov/healthfraud) pulls together videos and articles on how to avoid fraudulent schemes, and offers information about products that have been seized, recalled or are the subject of warning letters. The site also provides links to government resources on health fraud involving FDA-regulated products.

Learn more about how to protect yourself from health fraud scams at http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm278980.htm

SOURCE U.S. Food and Drug Administration