Popular Scams

There are a lot of con men and snake oil salesmen in the world these days. I've ran into lots of ripoffs on the internet that are so old and well known among country folk, I'm surprised that they are still around. Still, the main lure of a good con is hard to beat, the idea of getting something for nothing. in some cases the victim is seeking easy money. In other cases the victim or mark is seeking a cure for problems real or imagined. Let's take a look at three of the more popular cons out there today.

Colon cleansing is one of the more profitable ripoffs going these days. The mark is feeling tired or run down or just curious and clicks on one of those annoying popup ads. Then the pitch begins with a slick ad telling how doctors and big pharmaceutical companies don't want you to know how a newly discovered miracle cure can turn your life around. In this case, colon cleansing is touted as the cure all not only to tiredness or weakness, but for skin diseases, asthma, parasites and even cancer. Now while regular bowel movements are great, they don't cure anything other than constipation. Having chugged down a high priced laxative, unaware of the presence of added material to fake the appearance of parasites or a congealed mass in the stool, the victim becomes convinced by a massive bowel movement that he was indeed full of toxins and parasites. As a nurse, I've worked a lot with patients with bowel problems. I've digitally removed impacted stool from sick persons. I've given enemas by the dozen to patients for colonoscopy preparation and otherwise. I've seen numerous photos from many such procedures and yet, I've never seen photos like those the colon cleansing scammers set forth as proof of the need for their products. I've spoken with other nurses as well on this topic. For constipation, a cup of hot prune juice is one of the best and safest laxatives known. An ordinary enema, available at any drugstore, will clean you as well as needed for most purposes. If you really think you have an internal parasite, check with your doctor. Don't trust your health to a con man.

Another scam is a procedure known as ear candling, wherein a burning funnel shaped candle is placed over the ear supposedly to remove accumulated wax and/or toxins. When the candle burns down, the hollow shape is full of dark colored waxy material, which the healer purports to be from the victim's ear. In reality, the sooty mess is residue from the special candle, for which the victim pays an expensive fee. This ripoff is a particularly effective money maker for the con artist because the mark will usually pay for multiple treatments.

Speaking of candles, one of the very popular New Age scams is the selling of magic candles. According to the gurus, burning these candles can bring better moods, attract love and even bring money, cold hard cash to the savvy candle buyer. Unfortunately, molten wax has no such power. By the time the victim comes to that conclusion, they are hustled into buying a more powerful charm, spell or amulet, being told their spiritual problem is very powerful and requires the strongest, and naturally, most expensive magic. Avoid these clowns. They are trouble.

When dealing with medical problems. Seek legitimate medical advice. Don't be parted from your money and good health by a fast talking modern day snake oil salesman. If you have been the victim of a scam artist, please add your comments.