(This is the fifth -but most important- part of a series. Here are part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4)
Let's just imagine that you have devised a few bogus potions -so-called herbal supplements as "guaranteed treatment" for almost 300 diseases
and conditions from dandruff to cancer. And let's just say that too many people are skeptical or leery so maybe you make some money, but not quite the millions you expected. And
suppose this isn't quite good enough for you? You still want to sell MORE
snakeoil and rake in more dollars from unsuspecting sick people. But finding new diseases to claim to treat/cure is difficult, because
eventually, someone twigs and puts out the alert. How do you one-up yourself in those
circumstances, and market your snakeoil to a wider population?
Simple: You create a
bogus 'society', have it do comparisons of your bogus product
against one or two other bogus
products with a recommendation to always buy your product. Here's the kicker: The other bogus products are also owned by
you, but sold by a different set of bogus websites. So the bogus society can recommend any one of them, and you get the cash anyway.
Yes. You create two or three so called 'guaranteed
treatments' for the SAME condition, market each one under a different bogus website and then set up a bogus "independent
institute" to compare them all against each other, and then to "objectively" recommend one of
them!
It's pure genius. GENIUS!
Because no matter which bogus product the unsuspecting sick
person chooses through your bogus "research institute" YOU get the
(real) money. Because let's face it: in
this scenario, the only thing that is real is the money people lose. And maybe they lose real time and real health. While the owners of the bogus products and
websites are laughing all the way to the (real) bank.
It's a rather sickening kind of genius, actually. Completely Evil Genius, in fact. I think I have found the Frankenstein's monster of the Internet..
Remember how I said that Oslo health Solutions had over 280
websites registered, but I had only found about 60 of them? Well, I think I have found the other 220. And 295 from another site. And maybe another few hundred elsewhere. I physically
can't count them all!
So here is how it works: Let's say that I am looking for a cure for Syringomyelia
(which is where I started with all this stuff, let's stick with what we
know, here). Syringomyelia (SM) is a
potentially devastating and excrutiatingly painful degenerative condition of the spinal
cord. It is really difficult to treat,
and many myths abound, which means that many doctors "don't believe in" the pain of it. So many people
with SM have a hard time finding real help. Or they may not have insurance. So
say I am in this position and I find
this site, run by The Society for the Promotion of Alternative Health (SPAH
-and I don't think those particular initials are an accident BTW), claiming to
compare three available natural alternatives.
So we read this, and my options are:
Omiglatex, which is marketed by Botanical Sources (BS). Omiglatex (and all the Botanical Sources products that I have checked) tries to claim a connection with the Mayo Clinic, just because Mayo once said something like plants are a good source of drugs (Duh! Most commercial drugs come from plants!). But other than that, BS makes few direct claims of its own, except for a money back
guarantee and 100% natural ingredients.
Don't
take our word for it and use Omiglatex for a few days. You will begin to
experience incremental long term changes. If you don't, we pledge to refund you
in full, including delivery charges under our full no-questions-asked refund
policy. This guarantee is valid for 60 days from the date of purchase allowing
enough time for you to experience results with Omiglatex.
That sounds stunningly familiar, doesnt' it?
I love the ingredients list for Omiglatex, which include our old friend Nux
Vomica (better known as Strychnine or
"rat poison" here in the States); Coral calcium; Indian Rennett, a
herb which is used to coagulate ...stuff
and wattle bark, an old Indian herbal
remedy for premature ejaculation
What does all this have to do with treating brain
fog, constant burning nerve pain, paralysis and incontinence?
Dunno. I suspect nothing at all.
So I checked out the next option on the list: Syrotab. 
Yes. Our old friend from Oslo Health Solutions.
Nuff said about that. It's a proven scam...
Maybe the third option will be the charm? Right?
Mignitin seems to be a little different.
It is from Berlin Homeo Products in ...well, Berlin and is a hemopathic treatment for
Syringomyelia "The amazing 100%
guaranteed treatment for Syringomyelia that is bound to leave you amazed!" (It surely will! You will be amazed that you paid money for
this shite!)
Ant they have testimonials!
"Your organization is very professional and thank you for the continued
support. This is the first time I have been introduced to homeopathy. I never
thought it would work so well." - Betty - Florida
"I can't thank you enough" - Mark - NY
"All I can say is amazing! I was about to give up after trying so many
products." - Jessie - California
AND they accept PayPal!
Aren't they nice?
I'm sot too sure about the color scheme, or the picture of
something that looks like the bastard love child between a feather duster and a lichen.
Mignitin lists its ingredients too. You know, I have to LOVE
these people for their consistency. They may change the colors and pictures
around, but they always have almost exactly the same layout and links and very similar
wording.
Here are the ingredients
Ingredient Name Dilution
Sepia D3+30C
Aesculus D1+10C
Cimicifug D1+10C
Calc fluor D6+60C
Baryta carb D6+60C
Rhus tox D1+10C
Kali carb D1+100C
Sepia = cuttlefish ink
Aesculus = california horse-chestnut
Cimicifug... I think this is Cimicifuga Racemosa, which is
Black Cohosh and sometimes used to treat menopause and some muscle (not nerve)
pain
Calc fluor = calcium
flouride. -Used for "hard, stony glands" and a host of other stuff in
the Quack Bible, my favorite being "threatened apoplexy"
Baryta Carb = Baryta Carbonica "This remedy brings aid to scrofulous children,
especially if they are backward mentally and physically, are dwarfish, do not
grow and develop, have scrofulous ophthalmia, swollen abdomen, take cold
easily, and then Always have swollen
tonsils. Persons subject to quinsy... (WTF is quinsy? Ah. It
is Peritonsillar abscess (PTA). I prefer quinsy)...
Rhus tox = Rhus toxicodendron AKA poison ivy!
"Mignitin's composition is 100% safe and all its ingredients
are purely natural and free from any side effects."
Kali carb = Kali
Carbonicum and... oh hey! I love this
I found it on a homeopathic site:
patient can broadly be described as compulsive - rigidly adhering to a
code of ethics and rules. It is very difficult for the patient to express
feelings and he exercises strong control over his emotions. Duty is one of the
most important concepts for the Kali Carbonicum constitutional type. He will
not park in a yellow zone. He will always return to a shop to give back change
if he was given too much. He sees things in black and white. The patient is
often very stoical. He neither complains about (nor notices) the stress he is
under until the situation is very severe indeed. Things outside his control are
very upsetting.
That sounds rather like a description of an Aspie to me...
...but NOTHING like a Syringomyelia patient (unless its an Aspie
with syringomyelia!).
So there you have it! Three Syringomyelia remedies, all
bogus.
Bus OSM, I hear you say, Maybe it is a co-incidence? Maybe
only the Syringomyelia treatments are bogus. Because I am so desperate for help, I want to believe! Well, I am nothing if not thorough when it comes to this stuff, so I checked out options for a
few more conditions.
Leukemia i.e. cancer of the blood -all types apparently
treated by one product from each of these companies.
Leukotab - from Oslo Health Solutions
Kemitin - from Berlin Homeo Products (The amazing 100%
guaranteed treatment for Leukemia that is bound to leave you amazed! Yeah. Amazed you're DEAD!)
Multiple System Atrophy -a gradual and fatal shutdown of the
body's autonomic system. Usually fatal within two years of diagnosis.
Alpharax - from Botanical sources
Atrotab - from Olso Health Solutio... ...uh-OH!
Typo! Atrotab is actually (allegedly) for
optic atrophy. Atrophtab is for MSA. That's a big mistake if you are running a
legitimate service, but a simple one if you are running a SCAM! Those two actually use different formulations, you see. Like that makes a difference! I'm sure they are both completely bogus.
Porphotin (from Berlin Homeo Products) -contains Arsenic. Nice!
Parkinson's Disease
Niprotax -from Botanical sources
Parkotab -from Oslo Health Solutions
Parkotin -from Berlin Homeo Products (site currently
unavailable)
Musclar Dystropy
Dystratax (from Botanical Sources)
MD-tab (from Oslo Health Solutions)
Laritin from Berlin
Homeo Products
Do you see the pattern?
A product that end in "x" from Botanical Sources, then a
product that ends in "tab" from Oslo Health Solutions, and lastly a
product that ends in "tin" from Berlin Homeo products. The full list of SPAH websites and the
diseases for which they claim to present "treatment options" is below. There are 295 of them.
295 x 2 or 3 (we'll call it 2½) = approximately 737 bogus
products. And I thought 60 was a lot!
SPAH claims to have no affiliation with the products mentioned. Of course they claim that! This is perfectly in
keeping with Rule #1 of scams: Lie Big.
I did some searches on Botanical Sources and on Berlin Homeo
Products. I couldn't find much about them.
They claim to be based out of Rome and Berlin.
Here is the contact info, which is probably meaningless.
Botanical Sources
Via Canova 24, Suite # NR 320
Roma 00186
Italy
[email protected]
The Berlin Homeo Products (BHP) stuff I know even less about.
Berlin Homeo
Products
Markgrafenstr. 56, Suite 110
Berlin, 10117
Germany
4487102
[email protected]
The websites I checked are registered to Botanical Sources or Berlin Homeo Products as appropriate. But
all of their sites that I have
checked look identical for each organization. The BHP sites even have the same picture of the feather duster/ lichen cross, and
the exact same testimonials from the same people, regardless of
the disease claimed to treat. Did it just happen that 200+ people
called "Mark" in NY, 200+ called "Jessie" in CA and 200+ people called
Betty in Florida just happened to contact them and say the exact same thing about 200+ different products?
Ummm-hmmm.
So then I searched on SPAH.
The websites I checked are owned by MAK-International. Here is their home page. Notice anything?
Yep. You immediately notice that the design is about identical
to all the Berlin Homeo Products sites
...but hold on second... That woman looks like... she IS! It's my old friend: Vacant Biracial woman from
most of the Oslo Health Solutions sites!
Not only that, she is right there
with her buddies, Mr Serious and Mr Trying to look Sincere (who is still trying to look sincere!). They are the same people! Wow! What a total co-incidence that MAK International, Oslo Health Solutions and Berlin Homeo
Products use exactly the same web designers or models.
Incredible.
Literally.
So who is MAK International?
I can't find any incorporation information, but is seems to be run by
two brothers (or cousins) of (I figure) Pakistani descent who were born and
educated in Manchester, England (remember my theory that it was probably a
couple of young techies? It appears I
was correct). MAK International is
(officially) run out of Pakistan. If I am right, that they are Pakistani- English, they are perfectly positioned to run a scam of this kind. Born in the UK, they would have full EU citizen status, able to travel or open offices anywhere in the EU. Having Pakistani citizenship, presumably from their parents, would give them access to cheap labor and herbal crap and enable them to set up office in Pakistan.
Here is their information (I got it off their website, so it
is public domain.)
Name: Mustafa Arif
Position: CEO
Born: Manchester, UK (1979)
Qualifications:
BENG Mechanical Engineering
Imperial College, London
CCNA - Cisco - year 2000
Responsibilities:
Implementing the marketing solutions
devised for clients.
Experience:
Mustafa has been involved in
internet marketing for the last eight years since 1998. He has seen the market
evolve over the years.
Core Expertise:
- Search Engine Promotion
- Link Building
- Paid Inclusions
- CPC Marketing
- Affiliate Marketing
- Ad Networking
Name: Kashif Arif
Position: Customer Liaison Officer
Born: Manchester, UK (1978)
Qualifications:
BENG Electronic Systems Engineering
UMIST, Manchester
Responsibilities:
Liaising with clients providing them
pre-sales support. Understanding the client's needs and devising marketing
plans according to the client's business type.
Experience:
Kashif held a similar position in
Pace Technologies in Cambridge, one of the world's largest producers of digital
satellite decoding devices. He was responsible for negotiating contracts for
Pace's clients all over the world.
Core Expertise:
- Negotiating contracts
- Devising marketing plans in lieu of the client's needs
and budget
You may contact us via email, telephone, mail and in person.
Email
Sales Enquiries: [email protected]
Existing Clients: [email protected]
Office Address
2nd Floor - 33 Block Z (Commercial)
Defense Housing Authority (DHA)
Lahore 54792
Pakistan
Phone
0092-42-5749903
0092-300-4007904
Fax
0092-42-5749902
While I was researching all this, I must say the Botanical Sources link (or lack thereof) was bothering me. I was having a hard time directly connecting BS with the other three. But something was bugging me: something that I knew was there, but I was missing. Then I realized what it was:
The logos.
More specifically, the little leafy or swirly things that is used in every logo. There are always two, usually in complementary tones, and they usually look like leaves or a Pieces or ying/yang symbol. Check out the leafy things and the "product shots" used by Botanical Sources and OSH
Botanical Sources
And these from Oslo Health Solutions. The are not alike at all. Are they?
And we have some more from OSH, this time the "Pisces" version..
I like how Ejucatab has both 'Pices' and 'Leafy thingys'
Berlin Homeo Products (BHP) change the pattern a little. More abstract leaves and this time they change in size, not colour. (way to mix it up!)
And of course, MAK International:
You know, I found this little dot thingy on the corner of all the MAK International pages, but I don't have the right skills/software to blow it up properly. It looks intriguingly like it could be an amalgam of some of the other logos. The colors are certainly correct.
If this turns out to be the case, that wouldn't surprise me in the least. These people seem to like their little inside jokes: "Murakab" -which is an Islamic term meaning "complex ignorance" as an ingredient in many of their products; The fact that initials of Society for the Promotion of Alternative Health make the word "SPAH" (think English accent) and the wee dot thingy all point to a rather ignoble disregard for their target market: i.e. sick people and their families.
The funniest joke of all is this: The Society for the Promotion of Alternative Health, -although is doesn't claim directly to be a registered charity or non-profit agency ...ACCEPTS DONATIONS
"SPAH is a
donor based organization. It accepts donations
from only two sources; volunteering
professionals who dedicate their time to the
activities of SPAH and secondly from individuals
who out of their own will want to donate to
SPAH's cause as a result of benefiting from of
its sponsored initiatives. It is not possible
for us to accept any other kind of donations in
order to ensure minimal outside influence on the
organization's work."
Yes, they will take your money to further their (ig)noble cause
(i.e. ripping off sick people). Except
they won't accept it if you are a corporation or organization. I figure
because a corporation or organization will report such a donation on their
taxes. Too many questions might be asked
then. There's your "minimal outside influence on the organization's work". They don't want Uncle Sam, Mother England or ...Auntie(?) Pakistan asking too many questions.
Below is the (new) Grand List of conditions these guys claim to treat. it is rather an eye-opener. If you have any of the conditions below, or know anyone who has
them, please spread the word about this dreadful scam. I am not saying
this to
get more hits on OSM. In fact, I didn't even want to publish this
myself (I have some concerns about potential recriminations from the
Arif boys). But the one person I know in De Meeja hasn't gotten back
to me, and I feel the word needs to get out there. People need to be
protected. Please post
the link to this story to listservs, forums,
messageboards
or groups for any of these diseases that you might belong to. A scam
only works when it is secret. If we generate enough exposure about
MAK International, we can be sure they can profit no more from the
misery of others.
I warn you to be sure your anti-virus and anti spyware software is all up-to-date before you click on any of the links because (this was taken from one of the SPAH sites)
Passive
Information Collection
As you navigate through a Web site, certain
information can be passively collected (that is,
gathered without your actively providing the
information) using various technologies and
means, such as Internet Protocol addresses,
cookies, Internet tags, and navigational data
collection. We use Internet Protocol (IP)
addresses on this site. An IP Address is a
number assigned to your computer by your
Internet service provider so you can access the
Internet and is generally considered to be
non-personally identifiable information, because
in most cases an IP address is dynamic (changing
each time you connect to the Internet), rather
than static (unique to a particular user's
computer). We use your IP address to diagnose
problems with our server, report aggregate
information, determine the fastest route for
your computer to use in connecting to our site,
and administer and improve the site
So having been fairly warned, please do check this out. it is quite mind-boggling.
Many of these conditions are relatively benign or harmless. However, some are serious conditions: MSA, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Muscular Dystrophy, Syringomyelia, Ascites, Stroke, Pseudotumor Cerebri, renal failure, leukemia
Some are targeted at pregnant women (preeclampsia, Intrahepatic
Cholestasis of Pregnancy),
Some at babies (teething, prickly heat)
And some are just evil (Mental retardation, schizophrenia, gonorrhea, syphilis)
Please spread the word and help shut these people down.
NOTE: Special thanks to a reader, Kathryn who first sussed the SPAH connection.
