The Federal Trade Commission is alerting consumers on the common health care frauds. Their data estimates that billions of dollars are being spent on unproven, fraudulently marked, useless, and sometimes even dangerous products. Commonly targeted diseases are cancer, HIV & AIDS, and arthritis. If you find a company online that your believe may be making false claims, call 1-877-FTC-HELP.

The driving force behind health care fraud is money. By making fraudulent claims, companies are able to sell more products, at a higher price. What better group of people to target than those terrified by a newly diagnosed medical illness? I believe that nutritional supplements are leading the pack currently in health care fraud. Often, people with a low income end up spending the little money they have on useless supplements. Where does the money come from? Their food budget, their clothing budget, their medicine budget. While there is no doubt that some- if not most- nutritional supplements are good for people, billions of dollars are being wasted on the quacks. Help fight back by calling the FTC when you find an online company with suspicious claims, selling a high priced product.