snake oil

‘Snake oil’ is lingo for any product that is sold to solve a problem (or many problems) that it doesn’t. It’s a form of deceptive marketing.

Many MLMs sell essential oils, aroma therapy, shakes, vitamins, gadgets and lotions which promise to cure disease, help you lose weight, improve your mood, and more. These claims are almost always false, and sometimes the products are dangerous.

See Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_oil
Discussed in Season 4, Episode 1 of Illegal Tender Direct Episode Link