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In an effort to help
consumers protect themselves against fraudulent weight
loss products or services, mislabeling, misbranding
and/or misleading advertisements, we have set up this
page to provide information about what agency to contact
to report complaints.
If you have a complaint about a weight loss
product or service, contact one of the following
agencies:
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
The FTC oversees the advertising and marketing
of foods, non-prescription drugs, cosmetics,
health care services and medical devices
exchanged between states.
If you have a complaint, file a Consumer
Complaint Form at the FTC's website:
www.ftc.gov. Or call 1-877-FTC-HELP.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The FDA oversees the content and labeling of
foods, drugs, medical devices and cosmetics. If
you find a website you think is illegally
selling drugs, medical devices, foods, dietary
supplements or cosmetics on the Internet,
complete a form at the FDA's website:
www.fda.gov at the link — Reporting
Unlawful Sales of Medical Products on the
Internet.
If you have experienced an illness or injury
with a dietary supplement marketed as a weight
loss product, or have a general complaint or
concern about food products, take the following
steps:
Contact MedWatch, the FDA Safety Information
and Adverse Event Reporting Program
The FDA wants to know when a
product causes a problem — even if you are
unsure which product caused the problem, and
even if you do not visit a doctor or clinic.
When you report your adverse event or concern,
be sure to have the following information handy:
the name, address and telephone number of the
person who became ill; the name, address and
doctor or hospital who treated the person ill;
the problem and the name of the product and
store where the product was purchased. In
addition, you should also report the problem to
the manufacturer and/or distributor listed on
the product label and the store where the
product was purchased.
U.S. Postal Service (USPS)
Postal inspectors investigate crimes, such as
fraudulent marketing promotions, that use the
U.S. Mail. A crime is considered mail fraud if
it originates in the mail, by telephone or on
the Internet and is carried out in the U.S.
Mail. The United States Postal Inspection
Service (USPIS) handles complaints of fraud. If
you think you are a victim of weight loss fraud
by mail, submit a Mail Fraud Complaint Form to
the USPIS online at
www.usps.com/postalinspectors/fraud/MailFraudComplaint.htm
or file a complaint at your local post office.
Attorneys General
Each state has an Attorney General that serves
as a representative of the public interest in
addition to providing legal protection to the
state's government agencies and legislatures.
You can find your state Attorney General?s
office information online at
www.naag.org/ag/full_ag_table.php.
Better Business Bureau (BBB)
The BBB is a self-regulated organization
supported by businesses to provide reports to
consumers about companies. The BBB works with
law enforcement agencies to stop fraud. You can
check on a company, find tips on preventing
fraud and file a complaint at the BBB's website:
www.bbb.org.
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