As lines grow for vaccines, BBB warns of flu fraud

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HIGHLANDS RANCH - People are willing to go to great lengths to get the H1N1 flu shot this season, and as a result, the Better Business Bureau says there are online sites trying to take advantage of consumers who are desperate to stay healthy.

People are falling victim to H1N1 products found online, from "cure-all" supplements, to "H1N1 Flu Kits," that make claims it can prevent you from catching the flu.

The BBB has received many complaints about these scams, the majority of the complaints have been that a customer sent off money but never received the product.

Dale Mingilton, president and CEO of the BBB, says what's worse than losing your money is using a product that's harmful to your health.

"The best thing is that that it (the product) doesn't do anything. The worst thing is that it's dangerous," Mingilton said.

Roughly 2,000 people lined up for get the H1N1 flu shot on Saturday even though in some cases the wait reached three to four hours.

"I had to persuade my husband to stay, he wanted to leave," Staci Harmon said.

Dr. Richard Vogt, director of Tri County Health Department, says you're better off spending your time in line, than trying your luck with products that haven't been proved to be affective.

"Under these circumstances the best thing to do is to use common sense, and a lot of these quick fixes are really not proven," Vogt said.

The FDA recently created an H1N1 "Fraudulent Product List," available on its Web site: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/h1n1flu/.

In some cases, the products may be legitimate, but the FDA questions the marketing language and promised health benefits used to sell the product.

The BBB says don't use anything before you talk to your doctor, and in most cases you're better off waiting for the actual vaccine than spending your money on something that probably won't work.