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EnergyJailed for selling illegal and dangerous tooth gel online
Filed under: Scams & Fraud
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Chris Radburn/PA
During the trial he was condemned for lying to his online buyers, and putting them potentially at harm. And he's not the first online seller to have taken such a cavalier attitude to shoppers.
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The trial
Armstrong-Thorpe bought the gel from the US, repackaged it under the brand of Brighter Smile Marketing, and claimed it complied with EU regulations. However, when it was tested by Trading Standards, it emerged that the products tested contained 69, 89 and 100 times the EU limits of hydrogen peroxide.It emerged during the trial at Chelmsford Crown Court that he was known by 17 different names, he had been jailed in the US for perjury, and had committed offences over the previous 45 years.
Judge Karen Walden Smith said: "I have never heard someone lie as you did with barely a pause for breath.The business was organised for the purpose of making money and to do so you lied and lied without concern for the public."
Online risks
Essex Councillor Kevin Bentley, who is responsible for Essex Trading Standards, told reporters after the verdict: "Using unfamiliar websites to purchase unfamiliar goods for a cheap price may put you at risk. Teeth whitening gel such as this could cause permanent damage and be extremely expensive to put right."This is certainly not the first time an internet trader has been through the courts for selling dangerous products. Back in July we reported on the case of Leanne Wetheim, 24, of Gilwern, Wales, who was given an eight month suspended prison sentence, ordered to do 160 hours community service and pay costs of £2,000 by Cardiff Crown Court, for selling fake designer makeup online. Some of the counterfeit cosmetics contained dangerous levels of lead.
10 of the biggest consumer rip-offs
- 1. Mobile data roaming charges<p> <span style="text-align: left; ">Using a mobile phone to make and receive calls, send texts and browse the web while abroad can be extremely costly – especially if you are travelling outside the European Union (EU), where calls can cost up to 10 times as much as at home.</span></p> <div> </div> <div> To avoid high charges, Carphone Warehouse suggests tourists ensure a data cap is in place, use applications to check data usage, turn off 'data roaming', avoid data-intensive applications such as Google Maps and YouTube and use wi-fi spots to update social networking sites.</div>
- 2. PPI<p> <span style="text-align: left; ">Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) is supposed to help people to continue meeting their loan, mortgage or credit card repayments if they fall ill or lose their jobs. However, policies are often over-priced, riddled with exclusions and sold to people who could not make a claim if they needed to.</span></p> <div> </div> <div> At one point, sale of this cover - which was often included automatically in loan repayments - was estimated to boost the banks' profits by up to £5 billion a year.</div> <div> </div> <div> Now, though, consumers who were mis-sold PPI can fight back by complaining to the bank or lender concerned and taking their case to the Financial Ombudsman Service (08000 234567) should the response prove unsatisfactory.</div>
- 3. The Lottery<p> It could be you, but let's face it, it probably won't be. In fact, buying a ticket for the Lotto only gives you a 1 in 13.9 million chance of winning the jackpot.</p> <div> </div> <div> With odds like that, you would almost certainly be better off hanging on to your cash and saving it in a high-interest account.</div>
- 4. Budget airlines<p> No-frills airlines such as EasyJet may promote rock-bottom prices on their websites. But the overall fare you pay can be surprisingly high once extras such as luggage and credit card payment fees have been added - a process known as drip pricing.</p> <div> </div> <div> Taking one piece of hold baggage on a return EasyJet flight, for example, adds close to £20 to the cost of your flight, while paying by credit card increases the price by a further £10.</div> <div> </div> <div> It may therefore be worth comparing the total cost with that of a flight with a standard airline such as British Airways.</div>
- 5. Credit card cash withdrawals<p> Cash advances, which include cash withdrawals, are generally charged at a much higher rate of interest than standard purchases.</p> <div> </div> <div> While the average credit card interest rate is around 17%, a typical cash withdrawal of £500, for example, is charged at more than 26%.</div> <div> </div> <div> What's more, as the interest accrues from the date of the transaction, rather than the next payment date, costs will mount up even if you clear your balance in full with your next payment.</div>
- 6. Supermarket 'deals'<p> Supermarkets such as Tesco and Asda often run promotions under which you can, for example, get three products for the price of two.</p> <div> </div> <div> However, it is only worth taking advantage of these deals if you will actually use the products. Otherwise, you are simply buying for the sake of it, which is a waste of your hard-earned cash.</div> <div> </div> <div> To avoid paying over the odds, it is also worth checking the price per kilo to ensure that larger <a href="http://money.aol.co.uk/2012/05/24/supermarkets-slammed-for-multi-buy-rip-offs/">'economy' packs really are cheaper</a> than the smaller versions.</div>
- 7. Train fares<p> Buy a train ticket at the station on the day of travel and the price is likely to give you a shock - especially if you are travelling a long distance at a busy time of day.</p> <div> </div> <div> However, <a href="http://money.aol.co.uk/2012/03/13/how-to-cut-the-cost-of-your-commute/">you can cut the cost of train travel</a> by 50% or more by going online and making the purchase beforehand - especially if you book 12 weeks in advance, which is when the cheapest tickets are on sale.</div> <div> </div> <div> Other ways to reduce the price you pay include avoiding peak times and taking advantage of so-called carnet tickets, which allow you to buy, for example, 12 journeys for the price of 10.</div>
- 8. Packaged current accounts<p> Most High Street banks offer packaged accounts that come with monthly fees ranging from £6.50 up to as much as £40, with a typical account charging about £15 per month.</p> <div> </div> <div> Various benefits, such as travel insurance and mobile phone insurance, are offered in return for this fee. But whether or not it is worth paying for them depends on your individual circumstances.</div> <div> </div> <div> Before signing up, it is therefore essential to <a href="http://money.aol.co.uk/2012/01/14/maximise-your-current-account/">check that you will make use of enough of the benefits</a>, and that you cannot get them for less elsewhere.</div>
- 9. Overseas withdrawals/card payments<p> Overseas money transfers or travel money purchases attract the same high rate of interest as credit card cash withdrawals.</p> <div> </div> <div> Worse still, most credit cards – and debit cards – also charge you a foreign loading fee if you use them to make purchases while abroad.</div> <div> </div> <div> You can, however, <a href="http://money.aol.co.uk/2012/02/17/how-to-avoid-overseas-bank-fees/">avoid these charges</a> by using a Saga Platinum or Nationwide Building Society credit card.</div>
- 10. Premium rate phone lines<p> Numbers starting 0871 cost 10p or more from a landline, while those starting 09 can cost more than £1 a minute <a href="http://money.aol.co.uk/2012/03/21/call-0800-0808-and-0870-numbers-for-free-from-your-mobile/">from a mobile phone</a>.</p> <div> </div> <div> And the operators of these high-cost phone lines, some of which are banks, often get a cut of the call charges.</div> <div> </div> <div> Most 09 numbers are linked to scams and should therefore be avoided at all costs, while 0871 numbers can often be bypassed by searching for an alternative local rate numbers on the saynoto0870.com.</div>
Protect yourself
Cases like this show just how easy it is to set up shop and start ripping people off with dangerous products. It's up to us to take sensible precautions to ensure we don't suffer at their hands.It is essential to do your research before you buy: understand the product and what it should look like. If it is cheaper than its competitors, or is unfamiliar in any way, then it's worth erring on the side of caution.
It's also vital to look into the trader, their reputation, and any feedback. Make sure they have valid contact details, and do an internet search to see if anyone using the product has anything to say about it.
10 of the weirdest celebrity products
- 1. Bill Wyman's metal detector<p> When it comes to bizarre celebrity products, they don't come much weirder than the Bill Wyman Signature Metal Detector, designed and marketed by the former Rolling Stones bass guitarist.</p> <p> Apparently, Wyman, who is now in his mid-70s, loves archaeology and has used his own metal detector to find relics in the English countryside dating back to the Roman Empire.</p>
- 2. Barack Obama Chia<p> Fans of US president Barack Obama can show their appreciation for the politician by buying a Barack Obama Chia - shaped like the president's head - and growing grass out of the top of it.</p> <p> And for those who prefer a more historical theme to their garden ornaments, Chias shaped like the heads of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are also available.</p>
- 3. Sylvester Stallone's pudding<p> Action star Sylvester Stallone put out a protein-infused pudding designed to appeal to fans keen to build muscles like the big man's.</p> <p> Unfortunately for them, however, the pudding has now been taken off the market.</p>
- 4. Paris Hilton's craft supplies<p> Heiress Paris Hilton endorses numerous products, ranging from outfits for your dog to hair extensions.</p> <p> But the most random Paris Hilton product on the market has to be her line of craft supplies, the Creativity Collection, which features items such as stickers and transfers.</p>
- 5. Snoop Dogg's "smokeable" lyric book<p> Rapper Snoop Dogg's latest business venture is a "smokeable" lyric book.</p> <p> "Rolling Words: A Smokable Songbook" contains the words to some of Snoop's biggest hits, including "Ain't Nothing But A G'Thang" and "Gin and Juice" - all on cigarette rolling papers.</p>
- 6. David Lynch's coffee<p style="text-align: left;"> Hollywood film director David Lynch loves coffee so, of course, he decided to make his own.</p> <p style="text-align: left;"> Embarrassingly, the tagline on the David Lynch Signature Cup is "It's all in the beans ... and I'm just full of beans."</p>
- 7. George Foreman's Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine<p> Former boxer George Foreman's grill is undoubtedly the most successful, random celebrity product of recent years.</p> <p> The "machine", which claims to reduce the fat content of your meal by 42%, has earned Foreman more than $200 million over the last decade or so.</p>
- 8. Heidi Klum's sweets<p> Supermodel Heidi Klum has her own line of low-fat sweets, which includes Heidi's Yogurt Dessert Cremes and Heidi's Yogurt Fruit Cremes.</p> <p> Apparently, the design of the sweets is influenced by icons that Klum uses in her text messages to friends. Strange.</p>
- 9. Danny DeVito's Limoncello<p> Actor Danny DeVito is such a big fan of Italian liquer Limoncello, he decided to launch one of his own.</p> <p> Called Danny DeVito's Premium Limoncello, the diminutive star claims that it's "like pouring yourself a glass of liquid sunshine straight from Italy's Sorrentine Peninsula".</p>
- 10. Steven Seagal's energy drink<p> Steven Seagal made his name leaping around in action films that allowed him to show off his martial arts prowess. But he is also behind an energy drink called Lightning Bolt.</p> <p> Advertised as being "packed with vitamins and exotic botanicals", it sounds like just the tipple if you are planning to take on 10 armed men with your bare hands.</p>
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