Supplement marketers to settle ad charges

BIDDEFORD – Two Maine dietary supplement marketers have agreed to pay nearly $1 million to settle charges of deceptive advertising, the Federal Trade Commission said.

Pinnacle Marketing of Biddeford and VisionTel Communications, which has offices in Eliot, Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth, made unsubstantiated claims about the health benefits of their products, the FTC said.

Pinnacle Marketing LLC sold a weight-loss system called “Ultra Carb.” It claimed its pills blocked absorption of fat and carbohydrates and would allow users to lose up to 20 pounds without diet or exercise. A two-month supply cost nearly $100.

Pinnacle advertised in radio ads broadcast in areas including Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston, and through newspaper ads, the FTC said.

Pinnacle has agreed to pay $219,000 to settle the charges.

The FTC also alleged VisionTel used false advertising to market weight-loss pills and supplements it said could be used to treat male and female sexual dysfunction. VisionTel has agreed to pay $750,000 to settle the charges.

VisionTel sold various dietary supplements and other products directly to consumers through print, radio and television ads and infomercials, and on the Internet.

The FTC said it received assistance from the Maine Attorney General’s Office in both the Pinnacle and VisionTel cases.

There were no telephone listings in Maine for Pinnacle Marketing.

A message left with an official from VisionTel was not immediately returned.

The FTC complaint against Pinnacle Marketing was filed in U.S. District Court in Maine. The complaint against VisionTel was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.