Skechers is a shoe manufacturer that in 2010 alone made almost a billion dollars selling fitness shoes that it claimed could help people lose weight, strengthen and tone their buttocks, legs and abdominal muscles although there is no evidence that these expensive shoes could help achieve any of these goals.  Their advertising, including ads with celebrities such as Brooke Burke and Kim Kardashian, were quite convincing.  But it was a scam.  Forty-three states and the FTC brought legal action against Skechers that ended this week with a settlement under the terms of which Skechers is agreeing to pay 40 million dollars back to consumers.  As is quite common in settlements like this, Skechers agreed to pay the substantial financial penalty, denied any wrongdoing and promised not to do it again.

TIPS

Just because a celebrity endorses a particular product and the advertisements appear in legitimate media does not mean that the product is legitimate.  Always be skeptical of any weight loss or fitness product without evidence that offers an easy solution.  If you bought a pair of these shoes, it is still too early to get your refund and beware of scammers when you do try to get your money back.  There will be scammers trying to trick you into making payments to participate in the settlement.  For legitimate information about the settlement, you can call the FTC’s Skechers Hotline at 866-325-4186 or go to the FTC’s website at www.ftc.gov.  Once the real refund information is available, we will also have it here at www.scamicide.com so check out our scam of the day every day.