How To Avoid CBD Scams
As the most wellness exciting development in the 21st century, CBD is now incorporated into the daily routines of millions. So it’s unfortunate that certain companies are tarnishing the industry’s reputation. Recently, there has been a spate of CBD scams and contaminated products.
Many people use CBD for reliable, consistent help, making exploitation all the more immoral. We think it’s important to hold these sellers accountable and to pressure the industry to change.
As of late, the UK market has been saturated with fraudulent behaviour. Ultimately, this prevents access to many who would benefit from CBD. To help, we’ve created a reliable guide. So you can avoid these CBD scams- saving you stress, time and money.
1. Are their claims realistic?
You can always tell if a CBD brand is trustworthy by looking at how they sell their CBD. In the UK, you’re not allowed to use medical claims to sell CBD. Companies that make wild claims are operating illegally!
Claims may be made about the quality, strength and benefits of their CBD. Some even go as far as to say that their CBD ‘cures’ diseases like cancer! It’s important to look to reliable sources for information about the science of CBD, such as doctors and scientific journals.
You should avoid those that claim their CBD has “no side effects”, as everything has a side effect.
According to the World Health Organization, a “100% absorption rate” of CBD is also not currently possible.
Any claims that seem “too good to be true”, often are too good to be true! Recent scams include those that offer a free bottle of CBD if you just pay to ship, or use well-known celebrities. It’s smart to be wary of testimonials that cannot be easily proven or traced.
Certain subscription services can also lock you into a contract! If this happens, you should call your bank. Keep reading for our guide on what to do if you think you’ve been scammed.
CBD Pyramid Schemes
You should also always stay clear of CBD Multi-Level Marketing Schemes (MLMs, also known as Pyramid Schemes). Make sure to always check the terms and conditions of any agreement you enter. These schemes recruit individuals to buy from a company to sell to another customer.
This results in a pyramid of exploitation, in which the majority of profit comes from unsold stock. The financial loss then falls on these distributors. The BBC has produced an eye-opening documentary, which exposes how many lives have been claimed by MLM-related bankruptcy.
Action Fraud has produced a great resource for victims of MLMs.
2. Do they have accessible lab reports?
Lab reports should be made easily accessible to you. Finding trustworthy CBD is difficult. So certified, independent third-party lab reports are essential. Lab reports let you see if the oil contains the correct milligrams of CBD, as well as any other substances that are present.
CBD companies without lab reports can be selling you hemp oil or a low strength oil. It may even have THC, causing a “high” effect and making you fail a drug test!
This is why we’ve made it our mission to pioneer a transparent and responsible CBD industry. A truly moral industry is essential to improving the most lives with CBD.
Which lab reports are important?
CBD companies should make both their HPLC and microbiology reports available for all of their products. A ‘HPLC’ is a High-Performance Liquid Chromatography test. This detects and quantifies each cannabinoid in CBD oil. This way, lab reports also display if a product is really ‘Narrow’ or ‘Broad’ Spectrum.
Other important tests include pesticide testing. This indicates the presence of harmful chemicals that protect crops by deterring pests. These can even do more harm to us than to the organisms they deter.
Heavy metal testing also displays the presence of toxic metallic elements. These accumulate due to factors such as pollution and water contamination.
Lastly, mycotoxin testing is needed due to chemicals produced by certain types of fungi, otherwise, these can cause adverse health effects.
These types of nasty surprises can be transferred to your CBD oil, and display how important tests are. Reports let you know exactly what is and isn’t in the product you’re buying.
That’s why we’ve always made sure to make all of ours readily available.
3. Do they have certifications?
Untrustworthy CBD companies often depend on unregulated terms as selling devices.
Depending on the advertising laws of your country, certain words such as “Natural”, “Pure”, and even “Organic” may not be controlled. It’s a good idea to check with certified organisations for information about who you’re buying from.
Only buy from CBD brands which back up any claims with evidence, preferably from credible organisations. For example, organic certifications are paramount when buying CBD. The Cannabis plant readily absorbs any present nutrients in its environment.
Cannabis is one of nature’s best absorbers of CO2, sucking in 22 tonnes of CO2 per hectare of the crop. On the other hand, chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides in soils can be easily transferred to poor CBD oils.
It’s key to look for certifications such as an Organic certificate, which indicate reliable production practises. Dragonfly CBD’s Organic certificate is available online here.
Global GAP status is also a good indicator of the quality of the CBD you’re getting. It’s one of the highest agricultural standards in Europe. This displays who farms in both a safe and sustainable, and who does not. Dragonfly CBD was awarded Global GAP status in 2019.
4. Do they have many reliable reviews?
Reviews are also key to seeing reliability. Websites such as Trustpilot can be really useful to see reviews from real customers. Social media websites such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter can also be helpful to see the opinions of real customers. Tweets, posts and tagged pictures are your best friends in this day and age!
This can also show you if someone is using ‘bot’ accounts to generate reviews. Checking the profile of who’s reviewing the product is also key.
Accounts that only tweet about companies and scams are certainly not the most reliable sources!
5. Do they have awards?
You can also search the web to check if awards are real. All awards should be verifiable, and fake ones indicate unreliability. Simply type in the name of the awarding association and see for yourself. You should also be able to see past winners, which should give you an indication of the value of the award!
Dragonfly CBD has been voted by customers as the Best CBD Oil in the Boots 2020 Wellness awards! The Independent Pharmacist also voted us as one of their best products of 2020.
What should I do if I think I’ve been scammed?
If you think you’ve been scammed, you should first change your passwords to protect yourself from risk. If you’ve given personal information through a form, you may have to contact the police. You should then contact your bank to let them know, so they can hold off charges and refund you.
Other organisations that can help you include Citizens Advice, Action Fraud and the ASA. Any scams attempted by email should also be sent to report@phishing.gov.uk so to stop others being scammed.
Lastly, do not take the CBD oil if it does not have lab reports, as there is no way of telling what is in it!
Where can I buy reliable, lab-tested CBD?
You can buy the best CBD sold in the UK at Dragonfly CBD. Dragonfly CBD is completely seed to shelf, made from organically grown plants, and is THC-free guaranteed.
Dragonfly CBD is available across the UK, in a number of fantastic retailers. Stocked in Boots, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Day Lewis Pharmacy among other independent pharmacies, Dragonfly CBD will soon be one of the first CBD brands launched on Amazon. You can find your local outlet selling Dragonfly CBD with this handy search tool! You can also buy us online.
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