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August 29, 2021Trusii Hydrogen Water Mega Scam?
By now almost everyone who has followed the hydrogen water industry knows about trusii and the accusations that their “case study” is a potential scam. I’ve held off writing about them for three reasons:
1. Many are already aware of the accusations that trusii was conducting a scam, thanks to major media coverage from CNBC and ABC
2. I was cautious that the leadership behind trusii could be litigious if I wrote an article based on hearsay, and wanted to ensure I was clear these are just allegations
3. The government had yet to take any action against them
This week #3 changed thanks to the announcement that the Florida attorney general is acting against trusii. With this change, I now feel more comfortable in speaking about trusii and the crimes they have been accused of.
Who Is Trusii?
There were several people responsible for trusii. The main player was Chris Kennedy, although perhaps not legally. It seems that Chris’s partner, Jeff Taraday, may be on the hook for much of the legal trouble, and rumours were that Chris actually had no legal ties to trusii. Then there was Mo, one of trusii’s staff and “partners” who has been tied to other potential scams with Chris Kennedy, as well. Chris Kennedy is currently facing multiple felony charges in Broward County, Florida. You can search his case by going here, and entering case number: 18006671CF10A
For past potential scams perpetrated by Chris, Mo, and team, see these links that various individuals have uncovered from their past businesses:
https://www.landroversonly.com/threads/attn-san-diego-land-rover-enthusiasts.58888/
There were others that I have read. However, they were all within the Facebook group of victims that was mysteriously deleted, and not by the admins. Facebook closed it, for some reason, I am told.
What Was Trusii Selling?
Trusii was distributing hydrogen water machines they advertised as being very high-concentration, and up until I was made aware of their potential crimes, the hydrogen tablets. Upon learning of the actions they stood accused of, I abruptly cut off their supply, resulting in threats from Chris Kennedy that were never realized, and abrupt loss of income for my manufacturing company. At the time, trusii was moving the highest volume of units of any brand.
What Was the ScamTrusii is Accused Of?
The accusation goes that trusii was operating a sort of Ponzi scheme in which they were advertising free machines for participating in their “medical case study”. I want to point out that what they were doing was not a medical case study, and was not legal, in terms of being approved clinical research. They had no medical doctors on staff involved, and what they were requiring was monthly posts on social media, testimonials, etc—actions that go against the basis of scientific experimentation and observation.
Trusii was advising would-be participants that they needed to purchase the machine up front from a financing company. Trusii would then compensate the financing payments, provided the participant upheld their requirements. However, the financing company would pay trusii the funds up front. This behaviour has led to some lenders, such as Greensky, filing civil lawsuits against trusii for their fraudulent actions. From KPAX news:
In July, Greensky filed a civil lawsuit against Wellness Program Services, LLC (doing business as Trusii) and Jeffrey Taraday, an owner of the business. According to court documents, Greensky, a consumer lending platform, said it received complaints from consumers that Trusii failed to deliver the H2 systems and didn’t issue refunds; delivered defective systems and failed to replace the system or issue a refund; or failed to pay consumers enrolled in the case study program for their participation, despite promising to do so. Greensky is seeking declaratory relief in excess of $1,000,000, “as Trusii and Taraday have collected over $1,000,000 from consumers Via the Green Sky Program,” according to the lawsuit filed in Georgia.
At one time there was a Facebook group devoted to victims of trusii numbering in the hundreds discussing how trusii had wronged them, as well as for some their successes, or failures, in obtaining refunds from lenders. From the CNBC article, Chris Kennedy referred to them as a “hysterical mob”. If the user base were all victims, this would indicate trusii had potentially scammed tens of millions of dollars. I know that there were rumours that Chris had a mansion in Hollywood he was renting, with sports cars and constant parties. That seemed to be their M.O. When I first visited him in Hollywood, he was in a multi-room suite at a 5-star hotel, preparing for a huge launch party for the brand. This type of behaviour does not make sense in the context of a normal business model.
In terms of trusii’s “business model”, it made sense. Trusii aggressively pursued social media influencers, wining and dining them and flaunting cash. They paid high affiliate commissions to bring new participants to their case study; that alone would have given many pause to consider. How was trusii paying for the machines, paying a commission to affiliates (and a heavy one, at that), AND giving the machines away for free, even covering the financing costs? None of it added up. Of course, as many of the complainants report, trusii wasn’t paying out the financing; for many, they would pay out one or two payments, and then go radio silent. It has been reported that they would accuse participants of not complying, and use bullying tactics against the victims.
Even worse, trusii was pulling out all the stops in claiming hydrogen water was a panacea that could cure all diseases. This is where I, personally, felt swindled. Namely, because I was. When trusii first launched the hydrogen tablets, they had a shipment seized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (October, 2017). They notified me they were working with attorneys and the FDA. Trusii removed all health claims from their website, and sent me the revised site to view and acknowledge. Believing everything was “fine” and they were properly represented, I continued supplying them. Little did I know that as soon as I told them their site was fine, they restored the previous version, making all of the health claims. This was not brought to my attention for quite some time, until the FDA actually called me. Again, trusii removed claims, but I was “on to them” and continued to monitor. Shortly after, they restored the illegal marketing claims. This all came to a head when I found out about their case study, the nitty gritty details, and that they were scamming consumers. I was personally offended, as I myself had been “duped” regarding the marketing claims.
Trusii’s Water Systems
One of the tragedies is that the trusii water systems could have potentially been adequate units. In reality, the machines underperformed, were developing mold issues causing decreased health in users, and were breaking down frequently. I have been told by contacts that trusii reported none of these issues to the manufacturer, so nothing could be done to improve the units. Consumers were just stuck with broken machines, or worse, ones making them sick; that is, the consumers who received machines. Many reported having purchased a unit, and not receiving one, even a year or more after paying!
The Bottom Line
Just because a company has a presentable website, with real people that are charming representing it, does not mean they are “on the level” and trustworthy. Sometimes an offer simply is “too good to be true”, which was the case with trusii. If the accusations hold true, trusii is, by no small margin, the greatest “hydrogen water scam” to be perpetrated to date. We should use their actions as a sobering reminder of what can happen in the wrong hands. Be vigilant, and do your due diligence in evaluating every company you seek to purchase from. Protect yourself so that you can avoid becoming a victim, like so many hundreds have claimed they were with trusii.