Why do we still fall for the 'Blue Zones' longevity scam?



The quest for longevity is as old as human history itself. Who doesn’t want to live a long, vibrant life, free of illness and full of vitality?

For the past two decades, people around the world have bought books, watched documentaries, and enrolled in wellness programs sold by the man they're convinced holds the key to postponing mortality.

'The shared characterization of blue zones seems to be poverty, a poor lifestyle, and pressure to commit pension fraud.'

He's Dan Buettner, the National Geographic explorer who's claimed to have found the fountain of youth in far-flung "Blue Zones" — places like Okinawa, Japan, and Loma Linda, California — boasting greater-than-average populations of people who live to be 100 and beyond.

By popularizing and packaging this concept under his own brand, Buettner has turned these Blue Zones into a veritable fountain of money.

However, there’s just one problem with Blue Zones, and it’s a rather big one. The entire concept is built on questionable claims and even more questionable research.

Blue Zones or BS?

Dr. Saul Newman, a no-nonsense data scientist, enjoys nothing more than tearing down the myth of Blue Zones, exposing them as little more than a glorified wellness scam. The acerbic academic's takedown is far more compelling than Buettner's feel-good narrative.

Newman’s work, which recently earned him an Ig Nobel — an award given for research that first makes people laugh and then think — delivers a clear-eyed critique, highlighting the many problems with Buettner's baby.

Newman tells Align that these zones are directly “linked to lifestyle ideas that do not resemble the lived experience or dietary intake of people who actually live there. The shared characterization of Blue Zones seems to be poverty, a poor lifestyle, and pressure to commit pension fraud.”

Fake ages

Newman points out the glaring statistical inconsistencies that Buettner conveniently glosses over.

For starters, in Okinawa, one of Buettner's poster-child regions, authorities have uncovered rampant abuse of the pension system. Many of the supposed centenarians were either dead or had faked their ages to cash in on benefits.

When these fraudulent records were corrected, the number of centenarians plummeted.

Similarly, in Ikaria, Greece, another so-called Blue Zone, investigations into pension fraud revealed that, surprise, many “centenarians” were nowhere to be found. In Costa Rica, meanwhile, Newman notes that "42% of centenarians were found to be lying about their age. Once corrections were made, Costa Rica’s old-age life expectancy plummeted from world-leading to near the bottom of the pack.”

You really can’t make this up. Unless you’re Buettner, of course.

But it gets worse.

Okinawa, far from being a land of longevity miracles, now has the highest obesity rate for young people in Japan, along with elevated mortality rates among middle-aged residents. So much for that magical diet of tofu and fish keeping everyone spry well into their golden years.

Buettner’s Blue Zones don’t even boast the longest lifespans in their respective countries. There are regions in Japan and Italy that far surpass Okinawa and Sardinia in terms of average life expectancy.

Plant-based put-on

Newman's critique doesn’t stop at just exposing fraudulent records and statistical misdirection. He also targets Buettner’s entire methodology, which is, at best, sloppy and, at worst, deliberately misleading.

Take Buettner's "revolutionary" Power 9, little more than a recycled wellness checklist, cloaked in the mystique of exotic locales and clever branding. His approach, while dressed up as innovative, merely parrots well-known health tips.

None of these ideas are new. Some are downright silly. He advocates for a plant-based diet. Recent research suggests that plant-based diets may in fact harm rather than help long-term health.

Veganism, the most extreme form of plant-based living (or dying), is linked to serious health risks, including nervous system damage, skeletal and immune dysfunction, blood disorders, and mental health issues — all stemming from critical micro and macronutrient deficiencies.

Many plant-based foods, including popular meat-free alternatives like sausages, burgers, and nuggets, are often marketed as healthy options, yet they fall into the category of ultra-processed foods.

Drinking and thriving?

Buettner regularly promotes daily alcohol consumption as part of his longevity blueprint. But according to Newman, “There’s no amount of drinking that’s actually good for you.” He’s right; there’s not. In other words, if your health strategy involves drinking a glass of wine every night because some centenarian in Sardinia supposedly does it, you might want to rethink things.

Buettner’s success isn’t due to the scientific validity of his ideas but rather their sheer marketability. People love the notion of ancient, hidden wisdom that unlocks the secret to a long, healthy life. Buettner has masterfully tapped into our fear of death, turning Blue Zones into a lucrative empire that now even sells citywide "community" health programs. Quite an achievement, considering the whole concept is based more on fiction than fact.

Back to basics

The reality is that good health doesn’t require a passport to a Blue Zone or adherence to some mystical set of lifestyle rules.

It’s pretty basic, actually: Eat well, exercise regularly, get enough sleep, spend time in nature, and stay connected with your community. These habits are backed by decades of solid research, not folklore repackaged by a car salesman with a very fine tan.

However, despite being thoroughly debunked by experts like Newman, the Blue Zone charade persists, moving forward like an unkillable zombie racewalker. Singapore — a nation currently grappling with an obesity crisis — has just been declared the latest addition to the zonal family.

If you're still tempted to buy into the Buettnerian fantasy, it’s important to remember that behind every self-help guru's success story lies at least one inconvenient truth. In this case, it’s that Blue Zones are a neatly packaged myth designed to sell you products, not prolong your life.

As Newman puts it, "If you want good health advice, don’t buy a self-help cookbook that puts other cultures through a blender. Go talk to your doctor."

Or, you know, a trusted friend. A pastor. A Haitian migrant. Literally anyone but Dan Buettner.

Mexican cartels are scamming American timeshare owners, FBI warns: ‘Devastating consequences’



Mexican drug cartels are targeting wealthy, senior Americans with timeshares, according to a recentnews release from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The FBI reported last week that it has witnessed an uptick in timeshare scams against part-time owners. The scams are relatively complex and typically involve three phases, the bureau said.

'Robust network of fake company websites'

Assistant Special Agent in Charge Paul Roberts stated, “Timeshare fraudsters aim to suck their victims dry, with devastating consequences to victims’ financial futures, relationships, and physical and emotional health.”

“As the cartels further cement their control of this space, it’s especially critical that the FBI take the lead in addressing this threat to American seniors,” Roberts added.

He noted that the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the Gulf Cartel, and the Sinaloa Cartel have operated these fraud schemes for over a decade.

“Timeshare fraud has low overhead costs and minimal reinvestment, needing only a rental of small space, telecom setup, and English-speaking employees with access to resort databases,” Roberts explained. “There is lower perceived risk of prosecution and extradition for timeshare fraud but easy cash flow that goes directly into the Mexican banking system and obfuscates funds to facilitate money laundering activities.”

The FBI reported that the scammers involved in the fraud scheme “do extensive research on their potential victims,” creating fraudulent documents and impersonating a number of individuals. The fraudsters deploy “high-pressure sales tactics and cyber-enabled fraud strategies” to trick their victims into believing they are from a trustworthy institution. One such tactic includes “mimicking legitimate entities’ email addresses and forging official documents,” Roberts noted.

Roberts detailed the cartel’s three-step process.

“In these initial communications with victims, the scammers often pretend to be U.S.- or Mexican-based third-party timeshare brokers or sales representatives in the timeshare, real estate, travel, or financial services industry,” he said.

The scammers pressure victims to either exit their timeshare, rent it out, or invest in share certificates. They push the owners to pay upfront charges and taxes.

“The scammers also leverage a robust network of fake company websites, business names and addresses, and registrations with government officials and trade groups to bolster their credibility,” Roberts remarked.

Step one of the scheme concludes once the victim runs out of funds or becomes aware they have been defrauded.

After some time, the scammers will contact the victims again, this time pretending to be an employee of a law firm that wants to help them recoup their losses.

“The scammers often claim the initial scammers have been either charged with fraud or held civilly liable in a U.S.- or Mexico-based lawsuit, and that the victims are owed restitution in the settlement,” Roberts continued. “However, in order to access that restitution money, the victims are told they must pay legal or court fees to the law firms. The scammers then defraud the victims of a series of advance fees related to the settlement, again using fake documents to bolster their credibility.”

In the final phase of their scam, fraudsters will impersonate government officials, including those from the United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit, or Interpol, the FBI stated.

“Government impersonators claim that they’re contacting victims because they have access to criminal settlements and want to help them recoup their lost money,” the FBI wrote. “Or, impersonators try to scare victims into giving up even more cash. They do this by telling victims that their initial payments to timeshare fraudsters were deemed suspicious.”

“The scammers then tell victims that the authorities determined their payments to timeshare fraudsters were ‘linked to money laundering or terrorist operations.’ They then threaten to either subpoena victims or send them to prison if they don’t pay additional money to ensure their payments are released and their names are cleared,” the agency explained.

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FTC proposes rule to ban fake reviews and similar shady practices plaguing consumers



The Federal Trade Commission announced a proposed rule Friday meant to crack down on fake reviews notorious for deceiving consumers looking for honest feedback on products and services.

"Our proposed rule on fake reviews shows that we’re using all available means to attack deceptive advertising in the digital age," said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.

"The rule would trigger civil penalties for violators and should help level the playing field for honest companies."

The bogus review issue takes several forms, but each share a common element — separating hard-working consumers from their money.

The problem will only deepen as generative AI makes creating scores of fake reviews quick, cheap, and easy, the agency said in a press release.

Shady marketers artificially pump up review counts in a number of ways, the FTC explained in the release.

Buying and selling fake consumer reviews and testimonials is the most obvious deceptive practice. The proposed rule would prohibit the practice on both ends of the transaction. Writing and selling fake consumer reviews would be prohibited, and procuring and disseminating them would be prohibited, as well.

A lesser known practice called "review hijacking" would also be jettisoned by the proposed rule. Review hijacking involves stealing or repurposing reviews of another product. The FTC fined The Bountiful Company $600,000 in its first review hijacking case last February.

In the case of The Bountiful Company, review hijacking was achieved by manipulating an Amazon feature that allows vendors to create a "variation" relationship among products.

The FTC's proposed rule would also prohibit a company's officers and managers from writing reviews and testimonials for its own products unless they clearly disclose the relationship.

Using legal threats or other intimidation to suppress negative reviews would be prohibited under the rule. Similarly, businesses would be barred from holding back negative reviews on their website if they claim to show all submitted reviews.

"Although the FTC has taken strong enforcement action in this area recently, case-by-case enforcement without civil penalty authority might not be enough to deter clearly deceptive review and testimonial practices," the FTC said in its release.

The agency cited the Supreme Court's decision in AMG Capital Management LLC v. FTC, saying that their ability to seek monetary relief for consumers had been hindered under the FTC Act.

"A rule clearly spelling out prohibited practices and allowing for the judicial imposition of civil penalties could strengthen deterrence and FTC enforcement actions."

Once the FTC's proposed rule is published in the Federal Register, a 60-day public comment period will commence.

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Man interrupted dinner date to kill parking lot scammer over $40, police say



Police say a man who interrupted a dinner date to kill a parking lot scammer was arrested on murder charges Tuesday.

Erick Aguirre, 29, was arrested north of Corpus Christi, Texas Tuesday, the New York Times reported. He is charged in connection with the April 11 death of 46-year-old Elliot Nix in Houston. He was jailed on a $200,000 bond after an arraignment Thursday.

Aguirre and his date, Melanie Castillo, arrived in separate cars for a date at a restaurant called the Rodeo Goat on the night of the shooting, according to the Times.

Once they parked, a man approached them to pay a $20 parking fee each car. Aguirre paid, and the couple went on to the restaurant. When they got to the Rodeo Goat, a worker told them the seeming parking attendant was actually a "scammer."

Castillo, who voluntarily gave a statement to police two days after the shooting, reportedly said Aguirre "sprinted" back to the cars while she waited outside the restaurant.

A witness from a nearby smoke shop told police he saw Aguirre pull a pistol from his car. Next, he heard a gunshot, saw Aguirre return to the car with the gun, then saw Aguirre go back to Rodeo Goat, according to the Times' review of court documents.

Castillo, the woman on the date, said Aguirre told her he "just scared the guy." The pair went inside the restaurant, only to leave shortly after when Aguirre suggested going someplace else.

"She was devastated to learn of the death," Castillo's attorney, Rock DeToto, told the Times. He added that Castillo was "shocked to see a photo of herself on the news and to hear that she was a person of interest."

"The penal code in Texas, and in 49 other states, and in most civilized countries, doesn’t give you any legal basis to shoot and kill someone who ripped you off," legal analyst Brian Wice told KPRC.

"This could have been theft by false pretense. But regardless of whether or not it was, the penal code, not to mention common sense, says that you can’t use deadly force."

South Central officers found Nix unresponsive when they responded to a shooting call at 1300 Chartres Street Tuesday, according to a statement from HPD. Houston Fire Department paramedics transferred Nix to a local hospital in critical condition where doctors pronounced him dead.

Harris County Sheriff's Office records indicate a court date has been set for June 27.

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Almost 50,000 people have lost over $1 billion to cryptocurrency scams since the start of 2021



The cryptocurrency craze may be coming to an end as thousands of people have lost over $1 billion in digital scams since the start of 2021.

CNBC reported that a group of more than 46,000 individuals lost over $1 billion in these digital scams. This marks a loss of nearly 60 times more than what cryptocurrency investors lost in 2018. The mean individual loss was $2,600.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a report on Friday that further detailed the losses these investors experienced at the hands of digital con artists.

The FTC noted that the top cryptocurrencies people self-reported they used to pay scammers were Bitcoin (70%), Tether (10%), and Ethereum (9%).

One of the main features of cryptocurrency-based transactions is that there is no mechanism through which consumers can reverse a transaction. There is no chargeback mechanism that allows consumers to reverse a transaction if they claim that they have been fraudulently charged for goods and services they did not actually receive.

In its report, the FTC said, “Crypto has several features that are attractive to scammers, which may help to explain why the reported losses in 2021 were nearly sixty times what they were in 2018. There’s no bank or other centralized authority to flag suspicious transactions and attempt to stop fraud before it happens. Crypto transfers can’t be reversed – once the money’s gone, there’s no getting it back. And most people are still unfamiliar with how crypto works. These considerations are not unique to crypto transactions, but they all play into the hands of scammers.”

The report also noted that the people who were victimized by these cryptocurrency scams claim that it started with posts on social media.

The FTC said, “Reports point to social media and crypto as a combustible combination for fraud. Nearly half the people who reported losing crypto to a scam since 2021 said it started with an ad, post, or message on a social media platform.”

The top social media platforms for scams were Instagram (32%), Facebook (26%), WhatsApp (9%), and Telegram (7%).

Fake investment opportunities were by far the most common type of scam to which people fell victim.

Warning the public in its report, the FTC said, “There’s no bank or other centralized authority to flag suspicious transactions and attempt to stop fraud before it happens. These considerations are not unique to crypto transactions, but they all play into the hands of scammers.”