According to Wikipedia, caralluma ascendens, another name for caralluma fimbriata, is an edible form of cactus used throughout the Indian subcontinent as an appetite suppressant, or so-called “famine food.”
Leave it to the snake-oil hawkers to turn this into the next big thing they can make a few bucks on.
Got an email today from a “friend,” one whose email account or information had been compromised:
From: Redacted
To: store-news@amazon.com, ChaseNotification@emailonline.chase.com,
…snip… pmlncc@kkwl.ac.th, mrs.phillipjones@live.com
Subject: [Redacted]
Hi! How are you?
It works! http://nationalbranding.com/probably/dead.php
[Name Redacted]
These spoofed emails are so transparent at this point that I can smell the fraud before I even open them. But, in the interest of public service, I follow these links to see what new scam is being perpetrated on the general public.
Today’s bowl of steaming camel ejecta led me to a website hawking caralluma, the new New NEW weight-loss miracle.
This is the same kind of affiliate marketing effluence that I have described elsewhere (just do a search at this blog for garcinia cambogia, for example). Notice the tiny print below “ACT NOW!” that obligates you to a monthly $10.00 charge. But in the end, they’re less concerned with selling you their product as they are about getting your information which in the long run is much more valuable to them than a single sale.
Smell the foul rot of desperation as we proceed through the following screens:
The first come-on is BOGO. If we don’t fall for that, we get this:
Wait wait wait! OK, what now?
One of 50 customers, huh? Wow, I must really be special. But I guess I’m not really interested after all.
Wait wait wait! Wow, a free trial bottle, and the offer is good for only 10 minutes! Shall we look and see?
Now this is a wondrous thing. Instead of caralluma, I’ve been sent to a page to order garcinia cambogia. Looks like the affiliate marketer forgot to update his previous campaign.
More desperation.
Now the bottle is free, and I only have to pay 99¢ for shipping. But remember, I’m still providing my credit card information, and obligating myself to that $10.00 per month “subscription.” Once these drones have your financial information, they are in a position to bill you for anything they want, or sell your credit card and personal information to other scumsuckers.
It’s all garbage, poorly-crafted but sadly effective affiliate marketing for products that have little or no value, or worse, are actually detrimental to your health.
Be careful out there.
The Old Wolf has spoken.
