An American fraudster who has been fined millions of dollars in the US for making false claims about products he sells has placed advertisements in Irish newspapers offering to show “how anyone can make millions”.
Kevin Trudeau, who spent time in prison in the early 1990s for credit-card fraud, has been found by American courts to have “outright lied” in adverts about the contents of one of his books on weight loss. The Federal Trade Commission has branded him a “a 21st-century snake-oil salesman” and “nothing more than a huckster who preys on unwitting consumers”.
Trudeau offers cures for hair loss, multiple sclerosis, excessive debt, cancer and Aids, but is now offering to teach Irish people “the secrets to success; from wealth creation, to improving relationships, to finding more happiness”.
His advertisements have appeared in The Irish Times and in its Dublin-based Gazette group of local newspapers.
The ads offer a 14-CD box set entitled Your Wish is Your Command, supposedly worth €250, for free.
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However, two websites linked to Trudeau put its price at $19.95 (€14). One says a promotional code is needed to take advantage of the $19.95 offer, then provides a link which reveals a code and tells visitors “you just saved hundreds of dollars”.
Tony Clark, a sales and marketing manager at Snowflake Media, a British company which placed the ads in Ireland, claims to have found the CD box set useful and “fascinating”.
“I’ve become more organised in my lifestyle, and I’ve got a better life balance as a consequence. Everybody makes up their own mind,” he said. “Each CD is about an hour long, it’s delivered by Trudeau who is making a presentation, I believe in Switzerland, to individuals who paid to attend.”
In an infomercial-style video on one of his websites, Trudeau claims those attending the two-day talk recorded on the box set paid $10,000 each to attend.
“It talks about the methods that successful people have used throughout the years, like Henry Ford, Albert Einstein, and a whole range of successful individuals whether it be in business or science or any other walk of life,” said Clark.
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The Irish Times refused to comment on the placement of the advertisements or its vetting procedures. The newspaper has turned down ads in the past, including one placed by Denis O’Brien, the telecoms tycoon, criticising the Moriarty tribunal in 2009.