Scam Watch

The pitch: I am pain-free!

The scam: The Q-Ray Ionized Bracelet looks like a simple metal wristband, but it can “enhance the flow of bio-energy” to cure back pain, sinus problems, tendinitis, joint dysfunctions, sciatic pain and headaches. That’s what the manufacturer, who charged as much as $250 for the bracelet, claimed in advertisements. But the Federal Trade Commission made a claim of its own -- that the supposed powers of the Q-Ray bracelet were bunk.

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The court decision: The U.S. Court of Appeals in Northern Illinois affirmed a previous ruling that the supposed benefits of the Q-Ray were false. In a scathing decision this month, Chief Judge Frank Easterbrook said the manufacturer might as well claim that creatures from another dimension “use this bracelet as a beacon to locate people who need pain relief and whisk them off to their homeworld every night to provide help.”

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The money: The appeals court also affirmed that the companies promoting the Q-Ray and their owner, Que Te Park, must turn over a minimum of $15.9 million of profit to a court-appointed receiver, who will decide how it is to be distributed, and refund as much as $87 million to people who bought the Q-Ray from Jan 1, 2000, through June 30, 2003.

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Can you still get a Q-Ray?: Yes. The bracelet is being offered online for about $50 and up, but without the medical hype.