Companies, Individuals Settle FTC Geniux Charges
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says that 12 corporate and four individual defendants have settled charges that they deceptively marketed “cognitive improvement” supplements using sham news Web sites containing false and unsubstantiated efficacy claims, references to non-existent clinical studies, and fraudulent consumer and celebrity endorsements. An FTC news release says the commission also alleged that the defendants used affiliate marketers to make deceptive claims about their products, which they sold using names including Geniux, Xcel, EVO, and Ion-Z. The settlements ban the defendants from engaging in the conduct.
The commission approved two separate proposed settlement orders for various defendants, containing the same conduct provisions but different monetary relief.