As any regular gym-goer or early morning jogger will tell you, it’s tough to get into and stay in shape. It requires a long-standing, on-going commitment featuring many grueling hours with regular consistency to sustain a muscular, chiseled tone and flab-free physique while remaining in peak physical condition. Even the most dedicated of fitness lovers can struggle with the ever-present demands of managing their time, adhering to a proper diet regiment and putting forth the necessary energy exertion to maintain their ideal body. After all, as they say, no pain, no gain.

This image of dedicated perseverance as the only key that will help achieve a fit, healthy and slim body stands in direct contrast to the many bold, aggressive commercials that advertise proven short cuts to realizing your perfect body quickly and easily. The booming health and wellness market is increasingly inundated with an endless stream of pills, creams, vitamins, powders and other products that all carry the same general goal: to help people lose weight. While some people swear by these products as supplemental support that still requires demanding gym sessions and strict diets, others fail while relying solely on them as a cure-all which, to be fair, some products may not categorically deny in their marketing.

While weight loss products aren’t for everyone, we all have our own objectives and can find personal success through finding what works for us, personally. Yet, there still remain some products on the market that are just about universally bogus. There is a thin line, after all, between eye-catching claims that strain credulity even as they pique one’s interest and claims that are outright fabrication, statements based on dreamt up facts that carry no scientific validity. Unfortunately, these products do, sometimes, find their way into the market and into the waiting hands of poor, misguided fitness hopefuls that impulsively fell for a bold promise and claims of eye-popping results before doing the proper research.

Year after year, as well-intended individuals continually resolve to lose weight and get in shape, weight loss scammers are ready to flood the market with expensive products that tap into the urgency of its customers. These companies, which typically will disguise their dubious claims through scientific mumbo jumbo that they don’t expect the consumer to understand, prey on the public desire for a magic elixir that simply doesn’t exist. The prevalence of these weight loss scammers has even attracted the attention of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the government agency tasked with identifying and eliminating consumer fraud. The combination of an already saturated, competitive market with every company seeking an edge to help them stand out and a percentage of na�ve consumers who don’t entirely understand what’s being offered create a tumultuous and potentially dangerous situation.

Good thing, then, that at least these 10 wildly bogus weight loss scams were ultimately exposed. These companies foisted things like powders that made you feel full and calorie-burning underwear through the use of fake news articles, immoral medical professionals on the payroll, celebrity spokespeople and even compensated consumer advocates.