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Heightmax Scam Shutdown by FTC
Posted on Dec 13, 2006 by Tom Fragala
Heightmax is a scam that offered an herbal/vitamin supplement that promised to help young people grow. It cost around $60 a bottle which was supposed to be a month’s supply. Looks like the FTC finally got wise and nailed the fraudster (Sunny Sia) behind it. The website is down too. See the FTC web page “Federal Trade Commission v. Sunny Health Nutrition Technology & Products, Inc., and Sunny Sia.” It has the complaint, final order for permanent injunction, and news release.
Background: I started writing about Heightmax quite a while ago back on my old ScamSafe blog. In fact, if you Google search for “Heightmax” a ScamSafe blog post of mine is the #1 result (and has been for a while). One of the largest sources of traffic to my blogs are people interested in Heightmax information. Not to sound self-serving, but based on dozens of comments and emails, that one blog post probably saved hundreds of people from getting scammed. Unfortunately, thousands of people did get ripped of.
Check out some of the comments on my blog post:
AND THIS SITE THAT REALLY TELLS YOU WHAT A SNAKE THIS GUY IS
http://www.dc.bbb.org/report.html?compid=W7003694So not only is this company's supposed customer service phone number a CELL PHONE number, it's out of service to boot!
my friend actually got these...and they do NOT work. They give ugly side effects as well...at least for him.
I used this and got stomach sick in the morning after breakfast.
This is crap I just bought some pills and it hasn't even came in the mail so it took my 63.99 now
NEED SOME HELP !!!!!!! I ORDER IT TWICE FOR MY SON THEN NOTICE THAT WITH PAYPAL ACC THAT I HAD TO SET UP THEY WERE STILL TAKING OUT 63.99 EVERY MONTH .
But the FTC injunction is not the end of the story. (1) My gut tells me that Sia laundered funds and is hiding revenue, and (2) it appears that Sunny is still charging people’s accounts, fraudulently and without authorization.
First, why do I think Sia hid scammed funds from the FTC? C’mon, the injunction says
To settle the charges, defendants Sunny Health Nutrition Technology & Products, Inc. and its owner, Sunny Sia, will pay $375,000 in consumer redress.
$375,000?! At $60 a bottle, that means Sunny claims he only sold around 6,250 bottles. That’s absurd. My blog post received 20 comments. And it’s not easy to post a comment, you have to type in a special code which blocks spambots. How many Heightmax customers do you think actually took the time to Google search, find my blog, read the post, scroll to the bottom, and post a comment? I would guess 0.10% to 0.01%. If you believe my math, that means Sunny had between 20,000 and 200,000 customers (20 / .001 or .0001).
Second, why do I think Sunny is still at it? Just read the blog comments—people’s accounts are being charged after the injunction was stipulated. The FTC needs to call in the Secret Service or FBI and investigate this.
Update: Here's an brief interview a TV station did with Sunny Sia, which I blogged about recently.
Comments
Todd Walker on Jan 8, 2007
Tom my name is Todd Walker. I've been reading the comments and things on this and your other site and I have to say it's crazy. I actually bought(heightmax); took and re-ordered to get some more just a couple weeks ago. I mailed a money order to SHNT Inc. and it got sent back to me today. That's what promted me to investigate. It said 'return to sender; buisness(meaning Heightmax/SHNT Inc.) is closed. I bought and took 6 months worth($350.00) last time and tryed to do the same this time. Fortunately I did it thru mail so the Post Office just sent me my envelope back. $350.00 thank god. I keep reading about people who ordered on-line and they keep deducting money every month regardless. I took Heightmax from Feb. 06' til about the end of August. I turned 26 in July 06' which is why I was in a rush to take it. They say ages 12 to 25. I honestly didn't notice any changes. I dont know. Im still 6 feet. I wanted to get to about 6'2 maybe. This whole thing is crazy. I dont know what to think because I already took it and tryed to order some more. They say you should take it for a 6 to 12 months or more for best results. Whats really crazy is your article about the FTC shutting them down because you cant go to 'heightmax.com' but you can go to 'www.shntech.com' and still order not only Heightmax but a few other kinds of Height-enhancing pills. I thought Heightmax was the only one and I thought the FTC shut them down. Your guess is as good as mine if they'll actually send you what you order. Based on all the cust. testimonials on your sites, probaly not.I know one of the phone #'s I had for them no longer works(813-217-5922). How long will this process take to play out? Are they out of business period or did they just get a lawsuit against them? If their frauds they need to be completly put out of business. Alot of people, including myself, bought the product but your websites and blogs will save a whole lot more people from making the same mistake. My 6 month supply came with an instructional sheet of paper of how long and when... you should take it. It had their Logo and contact info. It is as follows: Sunny Health Nutrition Technology & Products Inc. 11522 Misty Isle Lane Ste A, Riverview FL,33569, Phone:(813) 217-5922, Fax: 509-278-5005, E-mail: service@shntech.com. Thanks for keeping us aware. I could have easily been scammed out of another $350.00. What if any are some REAL ways to maximize your height? Especailly in my case because Im past(26) the growth age 12 to 25?
Maude Hughes-Atkins on Jan 9, 2007
I have ordered Height Max for over a year, it does not work, my son has not grown an inch. I need to stop Height Max from automatically deducting this money from my account. PLEASE HELP...., how can
I get a refund.
Please respond.
Maude Hughes-Atkins on Jan 9, 2007
I have ordered Height Max for over a year, it does not work, my son has not grown an inch. I need to stop Height Max from automatically deducting this money from my account. PLEASE HELP...., how can I get a refund.
Please respond.
Junior Maravel on Jan 28, 2007
I was also one of the people who purchase the product, they did not work, inseated they would put me in a really bad mood!! so i stop taking them!
M. Carlovsky on Feb 3, 2007
Is there a place that we can file for re-imbursement???
jonhoy on Feb 4, 2007
any place you can file for refund? keep me updated
ngjanhoi@gmail.com
Edgar on Feb 7, 2007
I bought Heightmax months ago, I called and they told me that I will grow, after one month nothings happen? Heightmax is not true, they just take your money every month.
alberto martinez on Feb 13, 2007
i bought 3 months worth of that stuff.i am so glad someone found out this was a scam cuz i was thinking of purchasing more of this stuff. thank you.
john simmons on Feb 20, 2007
yes i did try it as well. and actually i tried to call once and some foreign lady answered. i tried to get a refund but it never came. today i was trying to find the siter again and couldnt find it. I then cam across this site. thanks for setting this page up. Im guessing there is no way to get my money back.
mary d on Feb 22, 2007
I have ordered height max for my daughter and she has growed one inch since school started i hated to hear that height max went of the market I just hope it does'nt hurt her growth. Please let me know if there is any more information on the height max. Hope that everyone else that has ordered it has had good reports on it so far everyone is not happy about order it because they are all saying it does;nt work . Thank you . Daughter had been taken it for about 6 months and it seemed to work but all the results i am hearing that it does'nt work. So if these other people are trying to get a refund I will need one too.
---------------------
first of all, growing 1 inch in 6 months for what i assume is a teenager is not what i would call "results." second of all, this blog is not a clearing house or place where you can obtain a refund or any information regarding a refund.
Tom
Trustom
Jasmine on Feb 28, 2007
There is another product out there as well that is called Growth Enhancer Plus and i'm pretty sure it works the same as the product Height Max.I'm wondering if there has been any complaints about that product, or if it even does work at the cost they're charging. It's hard to even get a hold of them to ask a question.I suppose that's a good sign.
========================
Jasmine,
How is it being hard to get a hold of them a GOOD sign? C'mon, there is NO way ANY product exists that helps you grow taller just by popping a pill or drinking some junk.
Don't waste your money please.
--Tom
Truston
richard on Mar 14, 2007
i took those pills in 2005 i was sceptical but i tried it any way. they kept on charging me for more. so i called them up and told them i wanted to cancel and stop being charged, and they did. now i know for sure it was a scam. and i was thinking of trying it again lol
Trevor Broadbent on Mar 27, 2007
Hey, I bought Heightmax once... I took it, and I did actually grow half an inch in 2 weeks. Call it placebo if you wish, but the results are real!
=============
trevor,
if you say so then it must be true.
--tom
amal on Mar 27, 2007
if it wasn't for you I would have been scammed too
Kyle G. on May 9, 2007
Ya, I took these for about 3 months, and didn't notice a change. Then when I stopped taking them, I got osgood schlatter, a knee problem. not sure it's from heightmax, but ya never know...
Bambie on May 11, 2007
Good thing i bumped into this site. I was actually just about to order it. My mother told me it was a scam but now i see for myself.
Sylvie on May 25, 2007
My daughter took HeightMax for four months and grew one and a half inches. It worked for her.
Bob Aderem on May 31, 2007
I must say,I actually am supposed to be a victim of this jerk off for reasons I feel is rather needless to explain right now.Anyway,I would suggest that you review "www.super-pill.com" and "www.growtaller.com" for genuineness before people become their victims too.I must commend you for your good work by the way.You rock! I hope to get a reply real soon.
Alex Holguin on Jun 6, 2007
My friend told me that he would buy me this product so I could grow a couple of inches. He said that he used it and grew 7 inches so I'm not really sure if it's a scam or not but thanks for posting your comments because now I'm not going to take the risk, Thanks.
Nicole on Jun 14, 2007
My son took height max for a little over a month. He now has a gland that's in his brain that is producing too much hormones. I don't know if it's related but I'm going to find out from my doctor.
Ashton on Jul 7, 2007
I took height max for about 3 or 4 months, and I never noticed a change either, if any I maybe grew half an inch. I didn't know anything about this until today when I got a check for my refund from FTC today in the mail. So I decided to check some websites. I had no idea this was going on, cause I haven't taken heightmax since last year, but I was thinking of purchasing it again sometimes soon. I'm glad I found out all this before purchasing
mike brunette on Jul 9, 2007
i took was taken by this scam, my son never took the product i returned the product per sunny's instructions and never received a refund even after calling several times, they stating it would take several weeks to receive the money. bullshit
mike brunette on Jul 9, 2007
i too was taken by this scam, my son never took the product i returned the product per sunny's instructions and never received a refund even after calling several times, they stated it would take several weeks to receive the money. bullshit
Gian on Jul 10, 2007
I took this product thinking I might be able to grow a couple of inches but never saw any results, instead I felt a little sick, hard to pee, and i noticed that for some reason my hands started to peel (weird), I dont take pills for anything so this was the only i've ever taken, is there any sites with a list of complications / side effects that this pill had? I just found out about this lawsuit today when I received a check from FTC for $39 even though the product was almost double that amount (~$60) ... so dissapointed I was dumb enough to think I could grow until I reach 25 y/o...arrghhh!!!!
Amy on Jul 18, 2007
My boyfriend bought some pills I found them, then threw it away. This is crap, come on people there is npo way a pill or any supplement will help you grow. Live and be happy with what you have. I came home today and he told me he recieved a check in the mail for the past purchase of the height max, thank god. worst investment ever!!!
Walter Pilgrim on Jul 22, 2007
Thank you for saving me hundreds of dollars. I had to call repeatedly to cancel my monthly shipments.... they just kept coming and my card just kept be charged. How do I get my money back? The vitamins do not do a thing....I threw them in the garbage.
T. Ince on Aug 30, 2007
i always thought of buying heightmax but never got around to it cuz i knew it was too good to be true, i mean mineral's and vitamins?? c'mon.... if they said anything about increasing the hormones in your body then they would've sounded more convincing. there is something that could help you increase your height, it's called Human Growth Hormones (HGH), and it works for real, of course, you will have to cope with the side effects which sound very disturbing and will definitely change a person's mind before taking HGH. if your are 100% sure that you'll take HGH then i suggest u pay a visit to your doctor and get your blood tested and your whole body examined because a lot of people are not aware of the diseases they carry and HGH will put your life at risk if you have any liver/kidney problems. appreciate the way you are, there are people who have worse problems, look around you and the things you own, everyone is blessed in a different way. don't compare yourself to the tall guy next door but compare yourself to a paraplegic or a person who faces real hardships in his/her life.
mike joel on Sep 17, 2007
I cant believe this they are only making this guy pay $375,000. I had used heightmax before for OVER A YEAR!!! It was during two seperate times, one times was for about 4-5 month, and then I skiped a few months and started again for about 5-6months. And so far I have seen nobody say this about those pills. But during the last few months I started receiving pills that were totally rotten. In the begining I use to receive larger pills and at the end I started receiving much thinner pills. I did contact them by e-mail and some lady answered me saying it was just a new supplier that they recently changed. However the next month I received my pills very late and almost skipping one whole month. So I complained again to the same lady and she appologised and I asked her for two bottles because the delay in shipping and bad bottles. After I finally received the pills, this time they were EXTREMLY BAD the pills had cotton stuck to them and were even more thinner than the last time. After that I stopped using them and saved the bottles to send it back. But since I had been using them for so long already. I didnt send them back to get new pills. If I had seen anything like this at that time, I would of taken action against them and would have proof of them sending different pills and lying in their e-mail about it all, since I still have those e-mails. I read something about the FTC making a program for consumers geting their money back. But havn't seen anything yet. Also I havnt seen anything written about side effects. Are they going to do any research on the actual product and find out what was really being sold? if any body has any information please post it.
Brandon J Chapman on Dec 20, 2007
So after reading some about this HeightMax site about a year ago, I signed up for the e-mail updates and spoke with some friends about it. As usual I nixed the "oppotunity" because $$ was involved, and I had not decided I wanted to be taller (only kinda, I like fitting in dryers and under beds...), but I never forgot the "claims" of HeightMax.
Looked up HeightMax today and was blown away by the further investigations into their apparent fraud. Another too good to be true claim.
AND
What got me PISSED was that my search brought up a HeightMax site from Mexico!? (http://www.heightmax.com.mx/)
Now I wanna punch this crafty freak. I read Spanish, so what do you know...exact same testimonies and William Thomson "expert" as the shut down website in English that I read a year ago.
Sent some emails to notify others and mentioned this on Wikipedia. I guess Mexico may have to be the one to prosecute if this guy is no longer operating in the States. Those who can help, especially those with any Spanish ability or Hispanic friends, send the word out.
Oh, the love of money...
B
larry on Jan 27, 2008
that stuff really did make ludocris claims my sister used it and started to grow hair on her arms and back.
badal on Feb 3, 2008
i was really interested in finding a way to grow because im not as tall as i should be for my age.. i was going to use heightmax but now ive found out its a scam.. do you have any suggestions to what product works or what to do??
Josh on Apr 1, 2008
Thx for posting this.
awhile ago i was about to buy the product, but didnt. Im extremely glad that i decided not to.
ppl like this should be thrown in jail for the rest of their life.
Roberto Ospina on May 28, 2008
In all fairness, I don't think they were a scam. If you read closely, they explain exactly how the pill works. It is essentially just a pill with a lot of vitamins and minerals and for it to work you have to sleep a lot and thats how your hormones will kick in to top gear... I bought it without the expectation of growing inches in months magically. I knew that what I was buying was just a general nutritious pill and with my cooperation of sleeping a lot and living healthy I might grow a bit more.
I also received a recurring charge but I called them and they cancelled the charge without any hassles.
Seriously, to all Consumer America: If you are scammed its probably your own fault for not reading the "user agreement" or the "disclaimer"
Either way, you all need to research your stuff especially when its a sale over the internet!
I'm happy with the product because I received exactly what i paid for and what i expected.
I even got a $20 refund check because of the lawsuit. -whatever
scam on Sep 27, 2008
Never know that before, thx for post.
Brandon on Oct 19, 2008
Yea umm... lol. I never got my refund, and i did that 3 month supply too.
What's funny is I never even used the pills, they just sat in my closet for about 2 years, and my parents just got divorced, so I went to pickup my old stuff from their house, and here the pills were, never opened. Lol
Anyway, does anyone know who I can contact to get a refund?
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