Hair Growth Scam

How the scam works: (with explanatory video below) This scam comes in several variations. Every time you go on the Internet you come across ads, typically published by automatic software under legitimate news articles. Whether you read an article online published on your local newspaper's website or a national one, almost every time you notice a "Sponsored Articles From Around The Web" section, right under the article. Most likely, these are ads about "natural products" that are used for a long time, like forgotten wonder products. By consuming these products you can grow your hair back in a very short time. The scam is similar to the other 'miracle products' scams out there. Read on or watch the video below to see the 'miracle product' scam exposed.

In this specific case, the shady advertisements are mostly featuring phrases such as: 'Get Your Hair Back Fast', 'Don't Pay For Hair Transplant Until You See This', or 'Magic Hair Growth Revealed' - which promise you to fix your problem with the help of an ancient or special product.

Clicking on the link will redirect you to a (false) news website. The articles seem to be from reputable sources like USA Today, People, Vanity Fair, Yahoo, Women's Day, Time, BBC, Sun, and your local papers, but the writers must have left their journalistic ethics at the door - the articles are filled with celebrity testimonials and even end off with a call to action: "Offer for our readers only – Only pay for the shipping! The fake website shows up according to the region you live in, as they are geo-tagged by scammers according to your computers' ID address. It doesn't matter if you live in Chicago, London or Melbourne, you'll always see celebrity photos shamelessly used by scammers

At the bottom of the page you can also see Facebook comments from people who had used the product and of course they were satisfied. If you click on any of the fake Facebook profiles, you'll be just refreshing the fake article page and be taken to the top part of it.

But let's say you decide to try out the magic product. Even if the product doesn’t work, you'll only lose $3.79 for the shipping - or so you think. Well, that amount changes when you receive your next credit card statement showing a membership charge of $150!! You call the company and try to dispute it, but they say it's impossible to cancel due to the wording in the fine print. They may also advise you to buy additional products.

When you finally realize you're being taken advantage of and try to report them and denounce the company online, you'll already be too late. The company will simply change their name and start again, scamming whoever else wants to make a quick dollar.

How to avoid:

Don't get us wrong, there are legitimate companies that provide great service in transplanting hairs and grafts. We are talking about the shady practices. Just do your research first. If it sounds too good to be true, then it is! Avoid these types of offers. If you feel tempted, try googling the site online and look for an independent review. Feel free to report the names of the scammers below, under the Comments section.