SCAM ALERT: Avoid the Demonic Okinawa Flat Belly Tonic
“Big Pharma” is hiding C-Reactive Protein (CRP) from you. At least, that’s the assertion made by the Okinawa Flat Belly Tonic. The truth is the only CR_P being hidden is the entire Okinawa sales pitch. It is one big lie dreamed up by a guy who doesn’t even exist. A diet based upon CRP and anthocyamins is the centerpiece of a scam diet called “The Okinawa Flat Belly Tonic“. Its slick website ask for the “low price” of $37 for what appears to be an ebook or a “program” that “guarantees” weight loss. This is a textbook version of the numerous other infoscams that have infected the Web over the last six years. Like so many of its scammy ilk, The Okinawa Flat Belly Tonic is overcharging you for scientifically dubious information. Will it work? Does alleged author Mike Banner even exist? Who is actually behind this Internet diet scam and what do they really want from you? Those questions will be answered below.
Anatomy of a Diet Scam
If this claim looks familiar, it probably is — it is almost identical to other questionable diet offerings also hawked on the Internet — and it was probably conjured up by the same marketers. In some cases, one marketer may be offering a host of related products. Here’s how it works: you are treated to a videomercial that touts the “proven way to lose weight; many of them are targeted specifically at women. Is it a scam? Is it a rip-off? Does it work? You’ll never find out, largely because of an increasingly pernicious Internet industry that uses fake product review sites to hide customer reactions. So, should you spend the $37? We recommend not, for the following reasons:
1. There’s a reason this sales pitch is slick — they spend a lot of marketing money to get it to you. Who is paying for that? You are. And, like many scammers, they are using Clickbank to sell their ebook so don’t assume you’ll get a refund. “Rock solid guarantee”…..don’t bet on it. The scammers bet on the fact that most consumers won’t seek refunds until after the 60-day period expires. In fact, they count on it. Moreover, they are betting on their ability to “upsell” you. This is marketing-speak for efforts to sell you more than you want or need. And you can bet that the E-Factor Diet will be doing some heavy upselling of other products and services.
2. If you look for a review of the product, you are deluged with lots of fake review or “scam” sites that simply direct you to the main sales site or offer some officious pablum talking about how the product is highly rated or recommended. The marketers for this service large commissions for any referrals they generate. So these “affiliate marketers” create create fake review sites which effectively thwart any customer who is looking for real reviews. It is also a tactic to obscure any customers who have posted complaints or alerts about fraudulent claims. This affiliate marketing trick makes it very difficult for consumers to detect this and other such scams, As one persevering blogger has noted, scam artists rely upon these fraudulent reviewers to be using tags like: “does it work?”, “is it a scam?” or “verified review” to suck unsuspecting consumers into this fraud. Here’s a page from the affiliate promotion page detailing what the fake review sites will be paid if they direct unsuspecting consumers to the Okinawa Flat Belly Tonic lair:
So, you see that Mike Banner didn’t write this ad. He’s a fictional character created by an “8-figure copywriter“. The marketers are willing to give up to $40 to affiliate marketers for each customer they deliver. How can they afford that? Because they plan to upsell you. More about that, below.
The Inside Scoop About The Tonic
Okinawa Flat Belly Tonic spins a carefully crafted tale about how the “author” receives a ‘simple formula’ from a Dr Tamaki. (no credentials or even a full name are offered for the so-called doctor). He uses his sister Susan as a guinea pig and has her drink this tonic once a day before 10 am. It goes on to claim that in one day she loses ‘an inch from her waist.’ Three days later, she had lost 4.5 pounds. Three weeks later, she had lost 24 pounds — that’s over 1 pound per day. Just so you know, any diet that claims to help you lose more than eight pounds per month is considered by doctors to be dangerous.
Okinawa Flat Belly Tonic claims anthocyanins are the active ingredients of the Okinawa-inspired miracle fat burning tonic drink. The entire premise of the Okinawa Flat Belly Tonic is bogus. In fact, this review concluded that human trials conducted to prove the fat burning effects of anthocyanins were largely a ‘partial failure.’ Notably, the so-called author of this diet scheme fails to show any scientific research to back up his claims. Like so many of the diet scams out there, they rely upon ‘secret’ scientific papers that are ‘not available to the public.’
How Okinawa Flat Belly Tonic Hooks Its Customers
Okinawa Flat Belly Tonic is really a sophisticated marketing scheme designed to lure unsuspecting customers and then sell them even more useless information. You’ll note that they target people in their thirties and brag about “super high EPC” which is marketing talk for “earnings-per-customer”. (see below)
Clickbank is the retailer of this scheme. So if you’ve made the mistake of buying it, ask for your money back by contacting Clickbank directly.
OUR SUGGESTION: Use Free Proven Weight Loss Plans Available on the Web
The vast majority of reputable health studies show that quick weight loss pills and potions simply don’t work. If you are serious about exploring a diet aid, check out these free and reputable dieting and weight-loss resources for you on the Net:
Livestrong Diet – Aims for a loss of about 1-2 pounds per week.
GM Diet – It’s not really a General Motors-designed diet plan. It’s actually a short one-week detox program. But it could be a useful starter to a major personal diet reboot. Linora Low gives a helpful (and free) step-by-step video and written guide to how to do this detox program.
The Lose Weight Diet – It does what many of the diet scammers do (take free information and distill it down to 3 easily understood phases) but he actually offers it for free!
Mayo Clinic – This free and reputable website contains scientifically verifiable diet information. Then follow-up with your doctor to make sure that the diet you’ve chosen will work for you.
Contrahealthscam recommends Truth From Within (Truth About Keto. It claims that this program by Brad Pilon is designed specifically for women in response to the 2017 keto craze that left a lot of women in hormonal disrepair. So if you are a woman who wants to lose weight the right way, Truth from Within is something you should try. It also recommends Eat Stop Eat, also by Brad Pilon has been studied extensively and has stood the test of time.
And if you are serious about wanting to shed some pounds, begin by going to the Mayo Clinic’s free and reputable website. The medical experts at the Clinic have fashioned a thoughtful and time-tested plan that has worked for untold numbers of people. Effective weight loss requires you to master the habits, urges, and feelings that rule our lives. It’s really all about learning more about your impulses. Once you do, you can create your “new” normal and the pounds will begin to disappear.
Our Bottom Line
Avoid Okinawa Flat Belly Tonic. Importantly, you don’t have to spend your good money to get information about how to lose weight or to create a histamine-restricted diet; it’s already available on the Net at a fraction of the cost of most weight loss schemes. Save your hard-earned money. And beware ANY Net-based sales pitch that has 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.
One additional 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 over and over and over for other such pitches. So understand that if you pay these marketers anything….let alone $37…..they’ll continue to hound you with more slick schemes designed to prey on your fears and concerns. Don’t open your door or wallet to them.
All the findings you present are how shady their marketing and sales departments are. You actually spend zero about the efficacy of the product itself. Just because they’re run by money grubbing jerks doesn’t automatically mean the product being offered is worthless, too.
I was very close to ordering this. I made it about halfway through their insufferable video pitch and then looked for reviews online. Every one of them, until I found this one, were obvious fakes. Thank you for explaining this truthfully and clearly. There is no way I will buy this scam product!
I agree 150%!! I did – and found – EXACTLY what you did! I too am very grateful to the author(s) of this article. It really is a shame, a crime that people can do things like this – and get away with it. Unfortunately, buying anything ANYWHERE nowadays really is a ‘Buyer beware’ scenario!
Hi I purchased Okinawa through a store online I played $60 dollars for one jar its very small.
I did read about all it’s ingredients and liked the 90 day money back guarantee. But surprise – the 3 month fee failed to go thru my bank. Card was declined. I called bank to approve it but the charge had never even reached the bank. Hmm. Glad it didn’t go thru now.
Why does it matter how it’s marketed. The ingredients are hard to find and put together in a tonic. If the Ingredients are whole then it’s fine to take this daily.
That’s our point, Kelly. The ingredients AREN’T hard to find. And your statement about ingredients being “whole” is simply not factual. It would appear as though you didn’t really read our article.
there is no miracle solution to losing weight.t here is only excersise and diet .
I was so close to purchasing a three month supply of Okinawa Flat Belly Tonic to bring back happiness. In the back of my mind I knew that no amount of money can bring me the happiness for a better life, so I started researching comments on the product and found this website. After reading your page it knocked common sense back into my head and I no longer wanted to spend my hard earned money into a product offered in a 30 to 40 minute video which almost sucked me in. thank you!
I almost fell itno their scam. Glad i was distracted when my husband called and told me hell be hone for dinner so i prepared dinner and after our dinner, i went back to tge site to complete my purchase. But when i trtied to do that the site indicated that it is no longer available for sale. So thats what trip my husband and I to search if the product is just a scam and turns out that it is! These scammers must be expose and they deserve to be prosecuted!
Damn I wish I’d read this first. Glad I only got a months supply, from Jack in Ma.
Did it work?