Can your DNA reveal your future?
Not according to the Commerce Commission.
Not according to the Commerce Commission.
Commerce Commission enforcement manager Graham Gill said a DNA testing kit sent to US, Australia and now New Zealand homes was little more than an over-priced cotton bud.
The DNA testing kit, purportedly from a company called DNA Technologies, contains a swab stick, instructions, a reply envelope, and multiple promises. While the kit is from China, the return address is in the Netherlands. DNA Technologies is also the name of a legitimate counterfeit-protection Canadian business.
An enclosed message claims that a mere swab of your saliva (and $39.99, and your credit card information) will reveal “unprecedented” personal information.
“Life-saving answers…your internal messaging conduit between mind and body…your inherent predisposition for breakthrough and extraordinary achievement...all this may be drawn from your unique DNA imprint.”
Mr Gill said it was ridiculous. “They claim that through DNA testing they can reveal to you ‘unprecedented information’ on your health, diet, intellect, compatibility, and even how to live longer. DNA testing cannot determine these things.”
When the kit first appeared in Australia in January, the University of Western Australia School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine associate professor Richard Allcock said some aspects such as health and mood might be under genetic control. “[But] we certainly are nowhere near being able to provide that information back to individuals. All of these claims in the letter are patently false.”
Because the scam originated off-shore, jurisdictional issues prevent the Commission from investigating. But it wanted to ensure householders were aware of the scam.
Mr Gill said, “We advise anyone who receives this kit through the mail to dispose of it. DNA in this case should mean ‘Do Not Answer’.”
For further information or to report a scam, the Commerce Commission recommends The Ministry of Consumer Affairs website www.scamwatch.govt.nz.
Charlotte Woodfield
Thu, 07 Apr 2011
Thu, 07 Apr 2011
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Can your DNA reveal your future?
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