More Than 40 Warning Letters Sent By FTC To COVID-19 Marketers

More Than 40 Warning Letters Sent By FTC To COVID-19 Marketers

FTC Sends 45 Additional Warning Letters To Marketers To Stop Making Unsubstantiated Claims That Their Products And Therapies Can Treat Or Prevent COVID-19, The Disease Caused By the Coronavirus

Kehoe Law Firm, P.C. is making consumers aware that the Federal Trade Commission announced that it has sent 45 more letters warning marketers nationwide to stop making unsubstantiated claims that their products and therapies can treat or prevent COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.  The FTC has sent similar letters to almost 100 companies and individuals.

The FTC previously sent warning letters to sellers of vitamins, herbs, colloidal silver, teas, essential oils, and other products pitched as scientifically proven coronavirus treatments or preventatives.intravenous (IV) “therapies” with high doses of Vitamin C, ozone therapy, and purported stem cell treatments.

Several of the letters announced today target other “treatments,” including Chinese herbal medications, music therapy, homeopathic treatments, and even shields claimed to boost the immune system by protecting the wearer from electromagnetic fields. However, according to the FTC, there is currently no scientific evidence that these, or any, products or services can treat or cure coronavirus.

The FTC sent the letters announced today to the companies and individuals listed below. The recipients are grouped based on the type of therapy, product, or service they pitched to supposedly prevent or treat COVID-19.

General Therapy Products, Supplements, Drugs, and Chinese Herbal Treatments
IV Therapy and Vitamin C Therapy
Air Purifiers/Sanitizers and Water Filters
Chiropractic Therapy
EMF Radiation Protection
Homeopathic Treatments
Music Therapy
Ozone Therapy

In the letters, the FTC states that one or more of the efficacy claims made by the marketers are unsubstantiated because they are not supported by scientific evidence, and therefore violate the FTC Act. The letters advise the recipients to immediately stop making all claims that their products can treat or cure COVID-19, and to notify the FTC within 48 hours about the specific actions they have taken to address the agency’s concerns. The letters also note that if the false claims do not cease, the FTC may seek a federal court injunction and an order requiring money to be refunded to consumers. Last week, the FTC announced its first case against a marketer of such products, Marc Ching, doing business as Whole Leaf Organics.

The FTC also has sent letters to several Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers, warning them that it is illegal to aid or facilitate the transmission of pre-recorded telemarketing robocalls pitching supposed coronavirus-related products or services, as well as to multi-level marketers business opportunities with unsupported earnings claims and unsubstantiated claims that their products or services can treat or cure coronavirus.

Source: Federal Trade Commission – FTC.gov

Kehoe Law Firm, P.C.