In today's increasingly healthy life, the health care products market has undoubtedly become a "new upstart" in the eyes of many people. The undercurrent behind this is surging, but it is unknown. In particular, health care product scams targeting the elderly are endless, and the methods are extremely sophisticated. These scams are often in the name of health care, but they are actually a well-planned scam. Have you ever thought that those miracle oral liquids that claim to be "cure-alls" may actually be just ordinary bottles of salt water? Let's find out what amazing secrets are hidden behind these health supplements.
In modern society, health has become one of the most concerned topics, especially for the elderly, health seems to have become the whole of their lives. Because of this, some businesses with bad intentions have focused on this specific group. In the name of health preservation, they carry out elaborate scams one after another.
A typical case occurred in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province in 2017. There is a shop called "Changzhou Laolaishou Service Station", which claims to sell oral liquid imported from the Great Salt Lake in the United States, containing 81 kinds of minerals and trace elements, which can not only treat various ailments, but also prolong life. In the mouths of the salespeople, this bottle of oral liquid seems to be a panacea for all diseases. Under this kind of fanciful propaganda, many elderly people have taken out their hard-earned pensions.
But the reality is cruel, after taking oral liquid, these elderly people not only did not reduce their pain, but also had adverse reactions such as abdominal pain. After further investigation, the so-called "Great Salt Lake Water" is just ordinary salt water, the main ingredient is magnesium chloride, which has no health benefits at all, and its manufacturing cost is only 10 yuan, but it is sold to ignorant old people at a price of up to 1,000 yuan.
This is not an isolated case. In Fengtai, Beijing, an aunt Wang also suffered a similar scam. Aunt Wang is troubled by a variety of diseases and is particularly concerned about health care. On the recommendation of a neighbor, she came to a health food store. The sales staff in the store recommended a product called "Fulong Oral Liquid" to her, which claimed to contain Ganoderma lucidum and snake gall bladder, which can treat a variety of incurable diseases and delay aging. The salesperson also told Aunt Wang that in order to achieve the best results, this product needs to be consumed in large quantities and quickly.
Aunt Wang was moved by these words and bought a large amount of oral liquid. The effect after taking it is staggering. Not only did nothing get better, but side effects appeared. Only then did Aunt Wang realize that she had been deceived. This purported health supplement containing reishi and snake gall bladder is actually a mixture of some common herbs, and is far less magical than the salesperson advertises.
Some common tactics are often used in these scams to lure the elderly. For example, holding free health talks, providing free health check-ups, giving small gifts, etc., are all designed to attract the attention and trust of the elderly. Once the elderly step into this kind of "trap", they will be unconsciously instilled with all kinds of exaggerated health care products, and become psychologically dependent, and eventually spend huge sums of money to buy these fundamentally ineffective products.
What's even more worrying is that these illegal businesses will also take advantage of the insensitivity of the elderly to Internet information and publish false information through various channels. They often post advertisements on some websites that look legitimate, and even fake expert recommendations, customer reviews, etc., which not only misleads the elderly, but also causes great financial pressure on their families.
Although there is a lot of exposure to such incidents in society, due to the weak ability of the elderly to recognize information and their extreme desire for health, such scams are still repeatedly banned. In many cases, older adults only realize they have been deceived after their families discover and expose these scams.
This phenomenon occurs all over the country. In major cities such as Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, similar health product fraud incidents are frequent. This is not only a regional issue, but also an issue that needs to be paid attention to by the whole society. The rampant behavior of these illegal businesses not only erodes the wallets of the elderly, but also deals a double blow to their physical and mental health.
In this case, the role of family members is particularly important. They need to be more actively involved in the lives of older people, helping them to discern the authenticity of information and preventing them from falling into these well-designed traps. Society should also intensify its efforts to crack down on such health care product fraud, and hold up a protective umbrella for the elderly from the legal and regulatory levels.
Fundamentally, the chaos in the health care product market reflects the lack of protection for the elderly and the loopholes in market supervision. Due to their special physical and psychological characteristics, the elderly have become the preferred target of unscrupulous businesses. Families, society and even the government should work together to build a safer consumption environment, so that our elderly can truly enjoy their happy life in their old age, instead of being bothered by the lies of unscrupulous businessmen. We need to fundamentally improve the information identification ability of the elderly, and severely crack down on these illegal acts involving elderly consumption through legal means to ensure that every penny is spent wisely.