Markets Wired

The Federal Trade Commission will distribute more than 5,700 refund checks totaling approximately $3 million to consumers who bought infrared saunas and dietary supplements from Roex, Inc., based on bogus claims that the products would treat, prevent, or cure a wide range of serious diseases.

The amounts of the refund checks were determined by the amount consumers spent on these products, with the average check totaling about $500. These are legitimate checks, and the FTC urges consumers to cash them. The checks will be mailed on March 5, 2010.

The refunds stem from a March 2009 FTC complaint charging Roex, Inc. and two individuals with making false or unsubstantiated advertising claims. The marketers claimed that their infrared sauna could treat cancer, and that their supplements could treat, reduce the risk of, or prevent various health conditions including cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, strokes, heart attacks, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases, ulcers, herpes, asthma, and glaucoma.

The products were sold on the company’s Web site and in print materials, but the marketers’ main advertising vehicle was a nationally broadcast, live, hour-long, call-in radio program titled “The Truth About Nutrition.” The resulting settlement and court order required the defendants to pay $3 million to redress consumers.

The Roex refund checks are valid for 60 days from the date they are issued. A special phone line has been set up to handle questions about the refunds. Consumers should call 1-877-571-8672 for further information.

For more information about the case, see the court documents and news release regarding the settlement at http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/03/roex.shtm.

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,800 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s Web site provides free information on a variety of consumer topics.

(Roex refunds NR.wpd)
(FTC File No. 072-3076)