I recently wrote about the rash of scammers offering 'free' trials of acai-berry weight loss products. Today we learn that some of those taken in by these shady dealings stand to get a little of their money back, as Central Coast Nutraceuticals, Inc. has been ordered by an Arizona court to refund $350,000 to these customers.

People who visited one of the many web sites running this scam were promised free trial supplies of the product -- which, by the way, has never been proven to fulfill extravagant weight-loss claims. However, hidden deep in the mouse print of the agreement was a clause that enrolled them in a very expensive, open-ended monthly resupply program. Customers attempting to reach the company to stop the orders when they realized the true cost of the 'free' products had a hard time reaching company representatives. No surprise there.

To file a claim, you must contact the Arizona Attorney General's office by Monday, August 17th. The office can be reached at 602-542-5763 or 800-352-8431 or by email at consumerinfo@azag.gov.

One sign of the scamming nature of the acai-berry business is best illustrated by the web site page shot below, which has a banner carrying the logos of WebMD, The Wall Street Journal, AOL Health, and other top organizations, implying each entity endorsed the site. Believe me, none of them would touch it with a ten-foot acai-berry branch.