SCAM ALERT: Online Tinnitus Treachery Exposed

Scattered throughout the Net are Web-based info scams that overcharge or steal your money for “products” that don’t work or can be found for free at reputable Internet sites. One scam that pops up almost annually involves a cure for tinnitus. This condition is relatively easy to diagnose (ringing or buzzing in your ears) but hellishly challenging to cure.

Because of the absence of an easy cure, Internet scammers have seized upon this malady for their quick, quack cures. Please don’t fall for them.

The most recent tinnitus scams are Ear Clear Plus, Tonaki Tinnitus Protocol, Tinnitus 911, Sonus Complete by Greg Peters, and Quiet Mind Plus. Each of them offers either some information or a supplement that allegedly cures this irritating condition.

An analysis that destroys these scams is available at ContraHealthScam.com, so we won’t go into depth about these four online scams other than stating that you want to avoid them. If you suffer from tinnitus, here’s what you need to know.

Why Tinnitus Is So Hard to Cure

Tinnitus is a remarkably common problem. It affects about 1 in 5 people. The complicated part about tinnitus is that it isn’t a disease. It manifests an underlying condition, such as age-related hearing loss, ear injury, or a circulatory system disorder.

The Mayo Clinic lists fourteen possible causes for tinnitus, so one cure can’t address any more than one of the root causes. It is further complicated by the fact that tinnitus is a “subjective condition” that can only be heard by the patient. You need to consult with a neurologist, otolaryngologist, and related specialists to properly diagnose your condition and proffer appropriate treatment.

The bottom line is that there is NO cure for tinnitus. The U.S. and British Institutes of Health admit that while Western medicine has found ways to diminish tinnitus, there is no cure. That’s why the scammers are attracted to this ailment! And that’s why anytime you see an online ad claiming to cure tinnitus, it’s a scam.

Almost every year, a few new scams pop up: Ear Clear Plus, Quiet Mind Plus, Tinnitus 911, and Tonaki Tinnitus Protocol are just a few of the more recent ones. They prey on people desperate to cure and uncurable condition. The most promising treatment for tinnitus is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). But the scammers won’t touch that one because there’s no money to be made on it.

How To Tell If a Tinnitus Cure Is A Scam

If you come across pretty much any tinnitus cure online, it is likely a scam. Here are some tell-tale signs of tinnitus treachery.

  • They use “affiliate marketing,” which tries to trick you into thinking other consumers vouch for the product. We call these sites info scammers because they mostly follow the same template: Product Description, Examination Record, Review or Analysis, Site Preview, Download button, Pros and Disadvantages, and Conclusion. Many also have a Leave Page Pop-Up, making it difficult to return to your Google search. They are hawked by affiliate websites that come by a whole array of names, such as “Daily Scam Reviews, “Review Tools,” “Scam Review Today, “ScamX,” “Queen’s Reviews,” and other such sounding websites. Most are little more than automated shills for these scam sites, designed to conceal real scam reports. They are authored by professional fake review writing services or “reputation management” companies.
  • We’ve identified a handful of websites that market many of these scams: Clickbank, ClickSure, and BuyGoods are some of the most prevalent. These companies are affiliate marketing networks for digital products like eBooks, software, and membership sites in different categories, handling credit card processing, accounting, and payouts for these vendors. BuyGoods currently sells the discredited Tonaki Tinnitus Protocol. Avoid this website and the products it sells at all costs!
  • They raise conspiracies. Some “government agency doesn’t want you to know about them,” they almost all claim. It may be true, but it’s not for the reason they assert. The government agencies and big corporations aren’t looking to quash their ideas as much as hold them accountable for their unscientific, bogus claims.
  • They offer guarantees. Any offer that uses the word “guarantee” or “no-risk” should be viewed somewhat skeptically. Scammers love to use those two words, so be careful when you see or hear those questionable words in an offer. Often, they don’t honor these guarantees, and getting your money back requires significant effort.

The good news is that some large internet companies are starting to crack down on fake review sites. Recently, Amazon filed a lawsuit against several websites that publish paid-for reviews on Amazon. According to Amazon’s suit, the websites promise to write bogus five-star reviews for customers who pay between $19 and $22 per review. They include buyamazonreviews.com and buyazonreviews.com  (owned by Jay Gentile).

Unfortunately, it’ll take more companies like Amazon to bring such lawsuits. In the meantime, buyers should beware of ANY net-based sales pitch with uncredentialed, slick video presentations with no independent reviews. It may not be a scam, but it is probably a rip-off because it is overpriced for what it is offering. In this case, there’s lots of good diet information in the marketplace provided at a fraction of the cost of most weight loss schemes. Save your hard-earned money.

Another warning: once you give them your money, you’ll be tagged as “meat.” Once they know that you’ll fall for this pitch, the same marketers will be coming back to you repeatedly for other such pitches. So understand that if you pay these marketers anything….let alone $40….. they’ll continue to hound you with more slick schemes designed to prey on your fears and concerns. Please don’t open your door or wallet to them.

If you aren’t sure whether any offer you are mulling over is a scam, feel free to ask us. Just use this link to contact us, and we’ll check it out.

5 thoughts on “SCAM ALERT: Online Tinnitus Treachery Exposed”

  1. Quietum Plus doesn’t work either. You can add that to your list of scammers. You get desperate for relief from the noise. And you’re right about once you buy something they seem to come out of the woodwork.

    Reply
  2. As someone who has personally struggled with tinnitus, I can attest to the frustration and disruptiveness of this condition. It’s infuriating to learn that there are scammers preying on vulnerable individuals with false promises of treatment. Thank you to San Diego Consumers’ Action Network for exposing these fraudulent tactics and providing much-needed information to the public. It’s crucial that we all remain vigilant in the face of these types of scams, and I appreciate the efforts of organizations like yours to protect consumers.

    Reply
  3. Other signs of a scam:
    1. Video “Locked” so you cannot fast forward to the end. How long do you have to sit through it to learn the cost?
    2. Emotional stories about life with Tinnitus
    3. Bold claims with no basis in fact: helping your tinnitus also helps you think more clearly
    4. High price for “all natural ingredients”.
    5. Time pressure, Do it Today!

    Reply
  4. Here’s the comment I leave on all facebook tinnitus scam ads, then they block me for telling the truth.
    Complete garbage, THERE IS NO CURE FOR TINNITUS. The Doctors at Harvard medical school, John Hopkins medical school along with many other universities have not been able to find a cure. BUT this company managed to pull this miracle out of their ass and it can cure what medical doctors at the highest level could never do. mark zuckerberg said hell yah lets sell this shit to my facebook customers, they’re stupid and believe what ever I tell them.
    People please, it’s about money in the pocket of mark zuckerberg and you’re putting it there. STOP.
    If you still want to waste your money I have developed a pill that can make you lose all the weight you want and put on lean muscle overnight, yep just 1 pill. Send me a $200 dollars and will be happy to send you 1 sugar pill. Stupid and untrue, come on people you have to be smarter than the person trying to steal your money, right mark zuckerberg.

    Think about people, if this really worked and was the miracle cure they claim, wouldn’t they be advertising it all over TV and the radio. They can’t because the FCC would fine them for false advertising (it’s illegal), I’m guessing mark zuckerberg doesn’t have to follow the law on his own website.

    Reply
  5. In all fairness… BuyGoods honored the money-back guarantee on the Tonaki Tinnitus Protocol. Apparently, I bought the system from an affiliate. When I called to request my money back the lady only offered to refund $10 out of the $27 I paid but I let it go. Some days later, I got an email from BuyGoods asking about my experience with the program. I wrote back explaining the situation not thinking anything good would come out of it. To my surprise, the same lady wrote back apologizing for my experience and told me BuyGoods would be refunding the remaining $17 of my purchase. Sure enough, I checked my credit card account three days later and the $17 had been credited. I wrote back to her and thanked her and BuyGoods for their honesty and integrity. Maybe I got lucky but maybe BuyGoods is a good company that does business the right way.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.